KOALA: The Next Generation of Guardians
by Kayley Fisher
Summary: It's time once again. Kandrakar can never be without it's Guardians for long, and five years after the breakup of W.I.T.C.H, it is the turn of five young Earth girls. The Heart longs for a new Keeper and Guardians that will fight for Kandrakar against a new evil that threatens the fate of the universe. Their lives are about to be turned upside down forever. Their destiny awaits...
1. Prologue - The Heart Passes On

"Humans again?"

The murmurs spread across the crowd. Such dissent was uncommon here - when eternity was one's reality, petty arguments could barely ripple the surface of one's peace. This subject, however, was one that could never be discussed lightly.

The Oracle looked out over the sea of pale green robes, trying not to focus on the worried faces. She was sure of her decision, even if her companions were not.

Today was a very important day for Kandrakar; therefore, the entire Council had been summoned from their residing worlds. Dozens of different races and ambassadors from different worlds flooded the stands.

They quieted as she began to speak. This was a good sign, she thought. Although they were uncertain, her authority had not been compromised.

"I must remind you that the last Guardians were among the most faithful to ever serve Kandrakar," she said, calmly, yet her soft voice echoed through the chamber with the power of her conviction.

"And one of them was your granddaughter!"

The Oracle did not look to see who had spoken out. Their worry was understandable, for this was an important job to be assigned and the choice could shape the future of all the worlds. She would not allow herself to become biased against those who challenged her.

"Their success speaks for itself," she assured the Council.

This statement was met without argument, and the Oracle smiled. The five girls had their difficulties, of course, but the strength of their friendship had always carried them through. They had protected their world and many others from countless threats.

"That is all well and good, but let me remind you they abandoned Kandrakar AND their duties to us all."

These constantly interruptions became a slight grind to the Oracle, but it was useless trying to challenge them. This person had a very good point. The Guardians had abandoned Kandrakar not two years ago, after their _victory_ in Lyuranda. _Victory_. The word tasted bitter in the Oracle's mind. That was no victory in her eyes. Nevertheless, it was no reason for them to relinquish their duties to Kandrakar. Still, the Oracle was a very considerate woman and understood completely why they did what they did. Something similar happened to her generation, after all.

"But why now?"

The whispers began again - this was a question that many wished to have answered. The Oracle faltered slightly. To this question, she feared, her answer would not be satisfactory.

Her visions were densely clouded every time she tried to meditate, bringing forth small visions of the future and an overwhelming sense of disharmony. She knew it only meant one thing, and after two years without Kandrakar's Guardians and Champions, they could wait no longer.

She bowed her head, clearing her mind until she saw nothing but the aurameres, locked in their endless dance. Within the past week, each had begun to reflect the face of its new Guardian, brief flashes of the girls living their ordinary human lives. Lives that would now be forever changed. The Heart floated to the front of her inner vision, moving closer and closer until she could see nothing but a pair of wide blue eyes.

"The elements know when there is a threat," she said. "And the Heart knows when it needs a Keeper."

Again she raised her head, casting her eyes over the assembled crowd. "It is time..."


	2. Traces of the Heart - Chapter One

"Class, we have a new student today," Professor Sands announced in his trademark monotone voice. "She's been to many different schools but this is her first time in Pinewood. Please welcome, Miss Ashley Anderson."

Ashley stood up from her desk and beamed a huge grin at the professor. "It's just Ash, if you don't mind sir?" she requested, gleefully.

Professor Sands sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Miss Anderson, I decide how to address my students in this class, not you."

Ash's grin faded into a mocking smile. "As thee wishes, my liege…" she replied, royally bowing as she took her seat.

Professor Sands stared unfazed as the rest of the class tried to hide their laughter.

Amethyst turned around to the desk behind her and said to Kayley, "I like this kid!"

Kayley grinned and agreed, "Me too - it's like double Amethyst in this classroom!"

With that, the class began. Ash looked around her, watching the students take notes, and she was immediately bored. Ash's attention span had never done her too well, especially in geography classes.

Even in her previous school, Ash always loathed geography. She never planned to take the class, but due to her late arrival midway through the term she had no choice. All this talk about sustainable development and cliff erosion was enough to send anyone to sleep. Ash always had a tendency to 'drop off' in lessons she couldn't stand, and well, sleep wasn't out of the question. These people didn't seem like the type to rat and dealing with the teacher would be no problem. Ash could tell he was struggling with his vision and deduced he was short sighted - he probably left his glasses at home.

Knowing she was in the clear, Ash let her head rest on the desk and drift away. It was surprising how quick she fell asleep. Sadly, these reoccurring dreams of hers had left her without much sleep for the past week and a half. Now though, Ash realized she was in dreamland. There was the typical flying clocks with the hands constantly spinning in amongst a starry sky.

She felt weightless - like she was flying. Or maybe even transparent, like she'd become invisible. Ash didn't care. This dream was different to the one's she'd grown used to, and she liked it. She wished it to last forever…

Forever was cut quite short as Ash was awakened by alarmed gasps and whispers echoing around her. Ash dragged her head off the desk, forcing herself to come around and see what all the fuss was about. She soon found out when she noticed her arms fading into sight beneath her.

Doing a quick double check to see if she was in reality yet or not, she glanced up at the clock at the front of the room. She studied the time, then blinked hard. It didn't change.

"Crap…" she groaned, quietly.

Everyone stared in stunned silence as Ash became solid opaque again. Murmurs of 'witch' and 'evil' buzzed around.

"Great start to the term, Ash…" she chided herself.

This wasn't new for Ash. Well, the whole public demonstration was, but the invisibility thing had been going on and off for weeks now. However, she knew she needed to deny any talk of sorcery as quick as possible; she didn't want to be shunned from society on her first day.

Therefore she stood up, ignored the people backing away from her, and took a small bow, explaining, "It's an old carny trick folks - d'ya like it?"

Thankfully, the class was gullible enough to believe her. Amethyst Cook was the first up, huge grin on her face and conducting the class in claps and cheers.

Professor Sands, having missed the fiasco, impatiently cleared his throat.

Ash's smile remained strong as the professor said, "This tom-foolery is hardly a good start to your time in my class, is it Miss Anderson?"

Ash gazed around triumphantly at the grinning faces and said, "Well, I beg to differ but-"

"But nothing, Miss Anderson," Sands returned, attempting to focus his vision while giving Ash an angry glare. "Now, if you're finished?"

Ash smiled and took her seat.

* * *

Chemistry class. It was a practical lesson today. Everyone was testing the legitimacy of some poxy hypothesis about the combustible properties of NaCHO3 - it was beyond boring, but it did mean that the Bunsen burners were out. That was always a nice change from textbooks. All the students found some bizarre pleasure of randomly burning splits. Several apiece. It was like they were hypnotized by the fire.

Opal Winters was in particular. Normally, Opal would have had the experiment finished by now, even without Kayley's help. Kayley seemed to be too busy doodling in her notebook to bother even paying attention to the experiment, let alone partake in it.

No, Opal was in a word of her own, just looking at the fire. She'd always like fire, even from a young age - it fascinated her.

But today, something just came over her. There was something about that moment. Something was holding her gaze on the flame.

It just seemed so memorizing. Beautiful, in fact. The way it danced in the air so gracefully. At that moment, Opal would have done anything to trade places with the flame. Or at the very least, _become_ part of the flame. That was a little more plausible.

Suddenly, her hand began to move towards the flame. Opal wasn't doing it consciously at first, but when she became aware of her action she didn't will them to stop. The closer she got to the flame, the more this strange sense of peace engulfed her. It was overwhelming. Sensational. It was as if she finally belonged.

The flame met Opal's hand and time froze. Or at least, seemed to for Opal. The fire was warm on her palm, but by no means did it scorch her. It was just… pleasant. Like drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day. Peaceful.

Sadly, back in reality, time hadn't halted and Opal's bubble of peace quickly burst by the sound of two earth-shattering shrieks coming from both ends of the classroom.

Opal removed her hand of the flam and turned to find the cause of this racket. The first one was easy - down beneath her, Opal found Kayley crumpled on the floor, clutching her hand and tears streaming down her face.

It took some time, but Opal managed to snap back into reality. "What happened?" she asked, urgently kneeling down beside Kayley. Crowds had gathered around both of the pain-stricken girls - the other Amethyst Cook.

"I don't know, but it friggen burns!" Kayley shrieked back in reply.

The crowds began to help the girls back to their feet.

"Burns?" Opal wondered. Neither Kayley of Amethyst seemed to be near any of the Bunsen burners, let alone close enough to get burned like that.

Opal eyed the flame. It seemed too innocent, casually dancing away on the table, minding its own business.

"Miss Fisher, Miss Cook, what on Earth is going on?!" Mrs White demanded, sternly glaring at Amethyst.

The two girls shrugged at each other from across the class whist running their hands under the refreshingly cold tap.

"I honestly don't know," Kayley admitted.

"This better be not one of your little pranks Miss Cook," Mrs White threatened, eyes still fixed on Amethyst.

Amethyst held her hands up in surrender. "It wasn't me this time Miss, I swear!"

Miss White grumbled and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I need to send you to medical so they can make sure there's no lasting damage. Miss Winters, I can trust you. Escort these two to the medical room."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash was in the middle of a guided tour of Lakewood courtesy of Principal Jefferson. Her sudden arrival meant that a tour was hard to schedule at any sensible time, as the Principal always preferred giving the tours himself, personally. After a brief talk with Mrs White, he managed to get her out of her first chemistry lesson. As they were in the middle of their practical, it would have been useless to throw her in at the deep end. Plus, it was the only time Jefferson could do. And naturally, Ash didn't mind getting out of a chemistry lesson.

"…and this is our prestigious Trophy cabinet," Principal Jefferson was saying. "It contains Lakewood's greatest achievements through our one hundred and fifty two year history. I hear you are a budding hockey player, yes?"

"I suppose so, yes," Ash replied absentmindedly. Boredom had set in a _long_ time ago, but she wasn't about to do anything about it. That would be too easy. An attack of whatever sort on the Principal needs to be planned, strategically, with no loopholes whatsoever. It needs to be ingenious.

"Maybe an attack on this 'prestigious trophy cabinet' is in order…" Ash mused to herself.

Then, it hit her.

Ash fell down to the floor like a brick, spitting out every obscenity in her vocabulary whilst clutching at her hand. _Great, right next to the Principal as well…_

"Miss Anderson, what in God's name is wrong with you?!" Principal Jefferson demanded.

"My hand!" Ash cried, "It's killing me!"

The Principal frowned. Of everything he was expecting… this didn't come up on his radar. He helped her off the floor, demanding, "What's wrong with your hand, child?"

"It burns!" Ash refrained from screaming.

"Does this happen often?"

Ash shook her head.

Jefferson led her to the door of the girl's bathrooms. "Run it under cold water," he instructed. "Then I'll escort you to the medical room."

Jefferson shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts into place as Ash ran her scorched palm under the tap. "What on Earth is wrong with that child?" he asked himself. "I read her records from her previous schools… but this? I don't know…"

* * *

When Opal arrived at the medical room with Kayley and Amethyst, they found two others there sporting bandaged hands. One was Ash, and the other was…

"Lorelai Clove," Amethyst addressed, bitterly.

"Charmed," Lorelai retorted.

Ash grinned at the new guests to the medical room. "How you doing?" she asked, waving her bandaged hand.

Amethyst waved her scorched palm. "Peachy," she replied.

"So, what happened to you then?" Kayley asked.

"No idea," Ash answered, honestly. "One moment, boring tour with the Principal, the next I'm rolling around on the floor inventing curse words."

"Great first day then," Amethyst chuckled. "The same thing happened to us. Fine one moment, and agonizing burning pain the next. Same goes for Kayley. Weird, isn't it?"

Ash nodded and turned to Opal. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Ash - and you are…?"

"Opal," Opal answered. She changed her tone. "Have you been introduced to Lorelai yet?"

Lorelai was on the seat furthest away from Ash. Her arms were crossed and she stared at the wall beside her.

"Get lost, reject," Lorelai moaned. "I'm not interested in-"

"Oh would you _shut up_," Ash implored, exasperatedly.

Opal, Kayley and Lorelai were taken aback. Amethyst just laughed. "Tell 'em sister!"

"Hmph," Lorelai grumbled, turning away.


	3. Traces of the Heart - Chapter Two

History class. Kayley, Amethyst and Opal were forced to freeze outside in the cold with the rest of the class until Professor Maxwell (though everyone just called him Max) allowed them inside. Everyone loved him as a teacher, but he could never be on time, even to his own class.

"So, what do you think of that new girl, Ash?" Opal asked, shivering. "I have not met her yet."

"She seems nice enough," Kayley replied, rubbing her hands together, silently cursing herself for forgetting her jacket.

"She seems really cool!" Amethyst beamed. "I mean, I think I have some competition now!"

"Elaborate, please?" Opal asked.

"Well, she came from the carny background, I think. I only managed to talk to her for a few seconds in the hall. And that trick she did in class… wow!"

"What trick?"

Amethyst grinned wildly. "The girl turned herself invisible in the middle of the class! She said it's some old carny trick or whatnot!"

Opal rolled her eyes. "No, seriously, what was the trick?"

"She did though, I swear!" Amethyst protested, gesturing excitedly.

"The girl did not turn herself invisible," Opal stated, chuckling.

Kayley shook her head. "I'm going to have to side with Amethyst on this one, Opal. Ash really did turn herself invisible. Or at least it looked that way."

Opal threw her arms in the air. "Then you are both delusional!" she cried.

"It's true!" Amethyst tried, but it was getting her nowhere and she knew that.

"I am a fan of logic," Opal explained, "and I believe that there is a scientific explanation for everything. You are sounding like the idiotic Bubblebrain when he was convinced that there were microchips implanted in all our heads by the government!"

Amethyst and Kayley laughed, the latter saying, "Oh… that was a good week!"

"Excuse me?" Came a voice from behind them, cutting through there laughter like a knife.

"Uh-oh…" Amethyst muttered.

"Bubblebrain?" The voice was TJ supported by his little gang of airheads that did anything he commanded. Brent 'Bruiser' Leuinser, Francis 'Puck' Jones and TJ were as dumb as they were ugly. TJ took out his gum and stuck it on the wall next to him.

Luckily, before anything could be said or done…

"Good afternoon class!" cheered Max, running up to the class with a big grin. "Come on, everyone inside!"

"This isn't over," TJ hissed, making the three girls blood run cold. They all walked in.

Inside, everyone took their places on their desks and unpacked their equipment. In front of them sat a test paper, causing the majority of the class to groan dramatically.

"I know, I know," Max said, holding his hands up apologetically. "I'm sorry, I forgot to remind you last lesson. Don't worry, it doesn't count towards your final grade or anything. Just a progress check."

The class groaned again, though half-heartedly this time.

"I'll put on a video next lesson," Max added. With that, the class began writing.

Amethyst buried her head in her hands.

"You never studied?" Opal quietly guessed. She sat on the desk next to Amethyst at the back of the class.

Amethyst nodded.

Opal smiled and began writing. History definitely wasn't a class that hindered her 4.0 grade point average. It was easy for her. Amethyst… not so much.

At the front of the class, Kayley was flying ahead in the test. History was the only subject she excelled in, despite her straight C average lifestyle.

She was focused, zoned in on the test so much that nothing was about to falter her chances at an A. Well, except one thing…

_"You know, I'm sure a paragraph on Kennedy would go a long way on that 'extra knowledge' part."_

Kayley's head shot up and she threw her pen down on the desk. "Shut up, James," she hissed, removing her calculator from her pencil case.

_"Hey, I'm only trying to help,"_ it protested. _"Why the tone?"_

Kayley did a double check to make sure no-one was looking at her. "Because if anyone sees me talking to my calculator I am going straight to the loony bin, that's why," Kayley snapped back, picking her pen up to write some more.

After several seconds, the voice returned. _"Why's that then?"_

Kayley threw her pen down again, this time it rolled off the desk. She violently rubbed her hands together, refraining from throwing the cursed thing into the wall. "Because," Kayley hissed, "Normal people don't talk to their electrical appliances. It's something we human don't do."

_"Oh,"_ James huffed, mildly offended. _"Well, what about my Kennedy suggestion?"_

"Look, in case you haven't noticed, this is a history class. You are a calculator. Try helping me with a subject I'm failing… _like_ _math_."

"Miss Fisher," Max called from his desk. He chuckled and said, "You know, the norm for students wanting to play on their cell phone in class is either texting or Tetris. I've never, in all my years of teaching, seen a student with the guts to make a phone call during a lesson."

"But sir, I wasn't on my phone," Kayley objected, politely.

"Psst," Amethyst hissed, grabbing Opal's attention. "What's up with Kay? Doesn't she know we are in a _history_ class?"

"I know," Opal agreed. "Why on Earth is she on her phone during a history test above all else? And who is she talking to?"

Amethyst shrugged. "Beats me…"

Max got up from his desk and ambled over to Kayley. "Miss Fisher, you're one of my top students. I honestly would never expect you to try anything during my class. What changed?"

"Sir, I'm not on my phone," Kayley protested, holding her hands up in surrender.

Max did a once over of Kayley's desk, then gave her a lost expression. "Then who were you talking to?" he asked, genuinely confused. He didn't see Kayley slip anything into her pocket or her bag.

Kayley bit her lip. "No-one sir," she lied. "You must have been mistaken,"

"Okay Miss Fisher," Max nodded, smiling almost suspiciously. "I'll take your word for it."

* * *

Lunchtime at Lakewood. The cafeteria was a crucible for activity at its peak, with clusters of students standing purposefully in the most inconvenient of places, or attempting to stay away from the chaos by eating there lunch either at one of the few crumb infested tables or at the corners were the dusty gym mats lived. It wasn't pleasant at lunchtimes.

Ash stood with a tray full of food in her hands and her heavy bag on her back. One of them had to go, and soon. However, Ash knew the consequences of sitting at the wrong table at a High school. She'd done it enough times to write a book on the subject.

High school 'class' systems are normally split into three categories: Infielders, Midfielders, and Outfielders. Ash had gone through all of them in her time and generally classes herself as a Midfielder - the best kind. They aren't shunned from society like the Out's nor hated by everyone else like the In's. The Midfielders were the perfect balance.

Now, it was choosing the right sub-category. For the In fielders you have your jocks, cheerleaders and Populars - all self-explanatory.

With your Outfielders you had your nerds, mock trial geeks, 'too tough to argue with' guys and your desperate wannabes.

Some of the main Midfielder categories Ash knew of were the drama freaks and the art lovers. Well, Ash knew she fit into both so began to make her way to the table with the people comparing styles of brush stroke on a paper canvas. However, when she got close somebody moved their bag to fill up the empty seat. Ash ignored the mental dagger sticking in her and moved on to the drama freaks table, who promptly did the same. Ash reminded herself of her experiences at other schools and wanted to slap her forehead at her stupidity - they were very closely knit groups, therefore no outsiders were allowed.

Sighing, Ash made her way outside to sit alone on one of the benches there. Just as she placed her bag down and attempted to take a bite out of her sandwich, shadows descended upon her.

"Well, well," one began to say. "Look at the new girl, all alone!" she teased, causing her 'posse' to snicker.

Ash didn't look up, simply sighed and put her sandwich back down. "What do you want?"

"Ohhh, hostility!" another joined in.

The first one answered, "We don't want trouble - just a little chat," she picked up Ash's chocolate cake bar and crumpled it into dust. Bending down to eye level with Ash, she introduced, "I'm Trish. This is Sandra and Lorelai. We just want you to know that we're in charge around here, and you damn better remember it, okay?"

Ash sighed and mentally grumbled, "_Populars_,"

Placing her tray on the seat next to her, she stood up and began to stare Trish down. Well, stare Trish up would be the correct term. The girl was at least half a foot taller than her. "Listen, _Trish_," she spat, like the name was bile in her mouth. "I don't care who the Hell you think you are, but I'm not just going to let you walk all over me like you do with your tag-along's over there."

"Hey, we are NOT tag-alongs!" Sandra contended. Lorelai concurred.

"Whatever you say," Ash sneered. "But I'm going to only tell you this once: Back off, or else."

One rule of High School: Make your status known the minute you get there otherwise you'll be torn to pieces in seconds. Act tough, or pay the price.

Trish laughed derisively. "Or what, short stuff?" she tested, pushing Ash down onto the bench. Murmurs of "Ooooo" started to surface.

"HEY!" Someone yelled from across the courtyard. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"

It was Amethyst Cook. Ash recognized her from earlier in the day at the medical room.

Soon, Amethyst and two others ran over and stood between the two fuming girls, each desperate to tear the others head off. Looking at her back-up, Ash reminded herself, "Kayley Fisher and Opal Winters."

Opal was standing well back from the confrontation as soon enough each girl was paired up with her opponent - Amethyst to Trish, Kayley to Lorelai and Ash now to Sandra.

"Stay away from Ash," Amethyst threatened. "Or I swear I am going to rip out every one of your _perfect_ white teeth with a pair of pliers and then break every bone in your _pretty_ little face."

Trish actually shrunk down a little. Glancing at Amethyst's balled up fists, she smiled maliciously and took a step back. "I'm coming for you, Cook. You and all your little dweeb friends."

With that, she motioned her crew to follow her as she walked away into the cafeteria.

Amethyst relaxed her tense shoulders, as did the others, and wiped the few beads of sweat from her forehead. "Phew," she breathed, beginning to chuckle. "DEFCON One right there! Are you okay?"

The last question was directed at Ash, who replied, "I am, thanks to you guys. I couldn't have taken them on my own."

"I bet we would have given them a run for their money though," Kayley noted, grinning. "You don't need to worry about those three. They're not nice people, but you'll learn to ignore them."

"What about that threat though?" Ash asked.

Amethyst shrunk down and shuffled in place. "Well..." she started, but Kayley stepped forward, put a friendly arm over Amethyst's shoulders and reassured, "Well that's nothing to worry about as we're here to protect you and each other, right guys?"

Ash and Opal nodded.

Amethyst smiled. "Thanks. Well, I was meant to be a drama club, like, yesterday, so I better go."

Opal buried her head in her hands. "Oh gosh, I was supposed to have taken the role as lead defence in Mock Trial today. Shoot!"

"I'll walk you," Kayley said. "See you round, Ash!"

Ash watched the three split ways before she sat back down and tried to enjoy the rest of her lunch in peace.


	4. Traces of the Heart - Chapter Three

"Okay, fourth period… ah! Here we are!" Ash rounded the corner and looked up from her map. Her next class was labelled 'InterV'. Apparently, she only had to go to this class until they figured out her grade average or whatever. It wasn't a mandatory class or something like that. Ash's attention span kind of ran out when Mr Jefferson was explaining that…

She looked across the hall and found three other girls - Kayley, Amethyst and Opal - talking to each other outside of the class. One seemed to be pleading.

"…now, you take good care of Kay-Kay, agreed Amethyst?" Opal taunted, thumping Kayley hard on the back. Kayley shrunk down and mumbled something inaudible under her breath, eyes begging for a way to escape.

The deal in Lakewood was, if you failed (below a C) in three or more subjects each term, you had to go to intervention classes. These were just boosters, and didn't help at all, but it was more like a punishment than a useful lesson. Detention, if you will. It meant that you had to skip your weekly free periods, something cherished by every member of Lakewood, for the entire term. Amethyst was a regular at the class, but it was Kayley's first time, much to her despondency. The other two had to literally drag her along to it.

"Don't worry, we will!" Amethyst jeered in reply. Walking inside, Kayley looked over her shoulder, mouthing something along the lines of, "Help me…"

Amethyst waved, imitating her puppy dog-like expression. Opal kept their gaze and began to back away. Knowing full well they were still in earshot and asked herself, "So, how am I going to spend this glorious free hour of mine?"

Amethyst and Kayley simultaneously stuck their tongues out at them, giggling. When turning back to the class, however, they realized all eyes were staring back at them. The lesson had already started.

Silently, Amethyst and Kayley shuffled to the seats, conveniently right by the door. Ash snuck in and took the empty desk behind them.

"Better late than never, girls," Mr Wilson called out from the whiteboard. Even from the back of the room, they could see his thick, brown beard twitching with amusement. "Students are always welcome here, especially on the days of our biology pop quiz!"

"A pop quiz?" Amethyst cried. "Last time you said there would be a video!"

"I lied," Mr Wilson remarked, skulking down the aisle with devilish smile. He leered with vampire-like glee at Amethyst and said, "You should know by now, Miss Cook, that lab teachers can be mean by nature."

Kayley giggled and gave Amethyst a wink. "I thought that was just math teachers, Sir," she piped up cheerfully.

"Why, that's a brilliant idea, Miss Fisher!" Mr Wilson exclaimed, strolling back to the front of the classroom. "Next week I'll have a _math_ pop quiz! Don't worry, thanks to your enthusiasm I'll make sure to ask you first."

The class erupted into fits of groans, and through crumped up balls of paper at Kayley. Amethyst whacked her hard on the arm before the pair began pouting. They both slumped onto their desks, muttering, "Lab teachers are mean, but this is just plain _cruel_. There's a difference."

Ash was growing red whilst trying to contain her laughter. "Perhaps this class isn't going to be so bad after all," she thought to herself, reaching down to get her biology book from her bag. Biology wasn't the worst subject on the curriculum for Ash. Throughout all her previous schools, she'd always seemed to take a liking to it, not that she'd ever admit it to anyone. The thought of a pop quiz didn't shake her in the least - it was just the thought of a math one next week that put her on edge. Nevertheless, she couldn't be bothered to worry about it right now.

"Why are _you_ so upset?" Kayley asked, turning to Amethyst. "I'm the one who got us into the math pop quiz, not you. Oh, I get it - your spell doesn't work anymore, right?"

Ash blinked. Spell?

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Amethyst hissed, worried about the how the decibel level on Kayley's voice could get her busted. She narrowed her blue eyes to malevolent slits.

"Oh, come on," Kayley said, giving her arm a playful nudge. However, she did take the hint and lowered her voice. "I mean rigging the quizzes."

"Did you say 'rigging the quizzes'?" Ash whispered, leaning forward towards their desk.

Amethyst whirled around and clamped her mouth over Kayley's grin. "Shh!" Amethyst whispered, a devilish smile growing. "Don't mind her. She's not all that right in the head sometimes. She sometimes just babbles on about-"

"Rmmmph," Kayley struggled, trying to free herself from Amethyst's palm. A second later, Amethyst unleashed a piercing yowl. She snatched her hand away from Kayley and starting shaking it around, wiping it on her sweatshirt with exaggerated disgust. Then she waved it high in the air.

"What's going on back there?" Mr Wilson yelled.

"Mr Wilson!" Amethyst yelled back. "Kayley bit me!"

Ash stifled a fit of laughter while Kayley twirled her finger around her long brunette hair, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

Clearly, Mr Wilson knew how to play dumb too. Ignoring Amethyst's bite marks, he simply homed in on her hand.

"That's a raised hand, Miss Cook!" Mr Wilson declared. "Congratulations! I was looking for a volunteer - looks like I've found one!"

"Burn!" Kayley whispered, loud enough for the Ash to also hear. She'd learned the antique diss from Amethyst herself, and being a fan of irony, thought it had never been more appropriate to use it now.

As Mr Wilson began to ponder his question, Amethyst's injured hand started trembling. She sank into her chair. "B-b-but that's not fair…" she squeaked.

Kayley giggled and turned around to Ash. "Watch and learn," she whispered from behind her hand. "When Amy's quizzed, first she gets angry, then she gets desperate, then she shuts her eyes tight, crosses her fingers…"

"Shut up!" Amethyst snapped.

"That would be 'angry'." Ash thought.

"I didn't study at all," Amethyst whined. "All I know is a little about DNA. I'm doomed…"

"Hel-lo desperation." Ash chuckled to herself. Then Amethyst did just as Kayley predicted. She laced her fingers together, closed her eyes, and began chanting.

"Please ask me about DNA," she begged in a rush. "Oh-please-oh-please-oh-please…"

"See?" Kayley continued narrating to Ash. "If there's only one single subject she studied, that's what the teacher will ask her about. I don't know how she does it. All I know for sure is that it works every time."

Ash was… totally confused. Here she though they'd concocted some elaborate cheating plan. What was this, some prank? Mind games? A massive horseshoe hanging from around her neck? However, seeing is believing. Ash wasn't totally convinced yet.

All three girls stared hard at Mr Wilson as he scanned his textbook.

"Hmm…" he mused, calmly taking his time. He could see it was killing Amethyst to get the question already. Nevertheless, he searched painfully slow.

"DNA?" Ash asked Kayley to confirm, which she did. Both girls watched with baited breath, especially Ash. She was itching to see this 'cheating scheme' - or whatever it was - in action.

"Let's see here…" Mr Wilson muttered with agonizing casualness.

"DNA," Kayley whispered impishly.

"Amethyst Cook…" Mr Wilson began.

"DNA!" Amethyst pleaded in a hoarse whisper.

"Why don't you tell us," Mr Wilson announced finally, "All you know about the structure of DNA?"

"Yes!" Ash and Kayley both cheered, bursting into loud laughter. It would have been a sure detention if Mr Wilson wasn't so focused on Amethyst.

Meanwhile, Amethyst practically clapped her hands together in glee and started off on this long speech about DNA.

Kayley turned back to Ash, who virtually had her jaw to the floor in amazement, and winked.

* * *

It was the first swim lesson of the year - something dreaded by every single girl at Lakewood. On a cold, winters afternoon, people would say it was a thought so twisted that the mere mention of it sent shivers down spines and made children cower under bed sheets. But the coaches at Lakewood were merciless, and insisted on the lesson.

Sadly, swim class was a compulsory subject, but naturally, those of the likes of Trisha, Sandra and Lorelai always managed to skip it… somehow. Amethyst too, on the grounds that she couldn't swim and refused to even paddle in the shallow end. The girls had tried to teach her before, but to no avail. It just wasn't her thing.

The prospect of swimming wasn't helped by the fact Coach Daniels was teaching. She was undoubtedly the world's worst _anything_ Coach, but she was particularly bad at swimming. If she wasn't outside chatting on the phone to her boyfriend, she'd occasionally sneak behind the gym and have a cigarette or two and only show up when she felt like it.

It was amazing she hadn't been fired already, in spite of the numerous complaints. Though, students speculated it was most likely to do with some _leverage_ she had with the principal.

So, the class was to begin. Coach Daniels made a prompt exit with her lighter in her pocket, as usual, as soon as the class began to change.

Amethyst had been told to enter poolside with the Populars, which _of course_ she was all too delighted to.

And of course, as normal, the three Populars decided to use their time wisely.

"Aww, look - it's the armband baby!" taunted Trisha.

Amethyst looked sarcastically impressed. That was pretty good for their insult standards.

"Yeah, Chicken!" Lorelai joined in. Amethyst rolled her eyes. _Back to old standards._

"What loser is a hydrophobe at thirteen?"

"I'm surprised your small brain knows words that big, Rory!" Amethyst countered, sharply.

"That's rich coming from you," Sandra noted. "Your grades are almost as bad as your acting skills, drama freak!"

Amethyst shot up. "Would you just back off?"

"OooOoo…" chorused the three. Trish slowly stood up and ambled over to Amethyst. "Did we strike a nerve there, Amy?"

The other two snickered.

Amethyst shot her a look that didn't need defining, but judging by her IQ, better safe than sorry. "I'm just not in the mood to have to suffer through your lame, over-used, poorly thought insults today, okay Trishy?"

"Are you calling me lame?"

"What, do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Trish chuckled maliciously. "Well, if you're _so_ smart, you can probably predict what I'm going to do next then."

Amethyst looked back to the other two Populars, looking on with almost ravenous glee. "Oh yeah, what's th-"


	5. Traces of the Heart - Chapter Four

The unwritten rule of all swimming classes is: don't hasten to get changed quickly, because the slower you get changed, the less time you have to have in the pool. It was a law almost everyone lived by at Lakewood.

Ash had been placed in Kayley's and Amethyst's swim group, thankful for seeing some people she recognized from her other classes. These two seemed like good people. They were friendly to her, and both seemed like a laugh. She and Kayley conversed while they got ready for class.

"So, how are you enjoying Lakewood so far Ash?" Kayley asked, though before she could get an answer…

*SPLASH* A loud crash in the water interrupted them. Everyone's heads shot towards the pool corridor, but nobody flinched. It was the norm before swim class for some idiot to jump in the pool. However, this one wasn't followed by the usual roars of laughter and cheers all round. No, this one was odd. To Kayley, it sounded like the crash, followed by some crazy splashing and garbled voices from the water. Or was it cries? It didn't sound fun. Though, one ear-piercing shriek managed to shoot out above the rest.

"Oh my gosh, that's Amethyst's voice!" Kayley exclaimed, dashing across the changing area towards the pool entrance.

Ash already knew this 'Amethyst' character was a joker, and assumed this pool thing was one of her regular skits. It was Kayley's tone that worried her. "What's so bad about that?" she asked.

"She can't swim!" Kayley called from down the corridor.

"Oh crud…" Ash gasped, running after her.

Amethyst's blind panic eventually began to calm. She began to relax a little.

"Am I dead?" she asked herself, noting the fact she seemed to be able to breathe perfectly fine and clearly see the dingy bottom of the pool beneath her. She was floating near the bottom of the pool, not drowning as one would expect. And breathing… Amethyst's breathing was normal - she wasn't choking down half the pool. Yet she could still feel the warm water surrounding her. "I thought Heaven was supposed to be all white puffy clouds. This isn't much of an improvement…"

Underwater, she could hear two more splashes in quick succession. Suddenly, two pairs of hands were viciously pulling her to the surface.

When they reached the pool edge, she rubbed her eyes and realized that the two pairs of hands were Kayley and the new girl, Ash - both of them still sporting half their school uniform above their swimsuits.

Ash coughed up some water and panted, "Are you alright?"

Amethyst stared at the two, dumbstruck, before leaning in with an arm and hugging them both. "You guys saved my life… thank-you! I-I just… I can't thank you enough. I could have died!"

"That's a bit of excitement for you, isn't it?" Kayley smiled. "I'm glad to see you're okay. You are okay, right?"

"Yeah…" Amethyst rubbed her forehead. "You guys won't believe this, but I swear I could breathe when I was under the water. I could see too. It was so clear I thought I was already dead!"

"The water's made you delirious, Amy," Kayley confirmed. "Let's get you a towel…"

"I'm serious!" Amethyst protested, moving towards the ladder. She heard the girls laugh behind her, and decided to drop the topic for now. Shaking her head, she smiled back at Ash as she climbed the ladder. "So, how do you like Lakewood so far, Ash?"

Ash chuckled. "Let's just say, if every day is as eventful as this, I'm going to fit in just fine…"

What the girls didn't realize until they got out of the pool is that they'd gained an audience. Every girl was poolside now, simply staring at them. Even Miss Daniels had decided to show up.

Then, one girl at the far end started to clap. Then another. And another, until the entire hall was full of cheers.

Kayley, Ash and Amethyst just stared around them, eyes switching between the clapping, Miss Daniels and each other. All three were speechless.

However, you could almost see the steam pouring from Miss Daniels' head, though they assumed it was excess cigarette fumes.

"GIRLS!" Miss Daniels shriek cut through the celebrations like a knife. _Nope, not cigarette fumes._

It almost made the three girls jump out of their skin. "To the Principals office, NOW!"

Not wanting to feel the wrath of Miss Daniels a second time, the girls did as they were told.

"That worked better than I thought it would," Trish whispered, grinning wildly.

"Yeah, but, I mean, you could have killed her…" Lorelai frowned.

"Yeah, but she didn't. You worry too much Lorelai. Learn to have a little fun, why don't ya!" Sandra smiled, nudging Lorelai and bursting into more laughter. Trish soon joined her.

Opal looked up at the grisly sky as she walked out of Lakewood. Connecticut was famous for its diverse weather, and while the afternoon was bright sunshine, it looked like the evening would set in for rain.

Sighing, she made her way over to the bike sheds. It was only a fifteen minute ride to her house, but Opal's breakneck speeds always got her there in record times. The adrenaline rush wasn't something her friends shared in whilst trying to keep up with her on bike rides.

However, when she reached her bike and bent down to unlock the wheel, she noticed it had been spiked.

"Oh dear, what a conundrum…" TJ jeered, strolling up to Opal, flanked by his two muscles.

The two muscles being Bruiser and Puck respectively, both seeming to share one brain cell between them. However, what they lacked in intelligence they easily made up for in strength. TJ, on the other hand, was a very tall yet lanky teenager. It can be noted he's not as dumb as his associates. While TJ would never hesitate to begin and end a conflict with violence, he sometimes preferred to let his two cronies do all the dirty work.

Opal's eyes seemed to reflect flames.

TJ continued, "I heard what you said before History today. You know, Bubblebrain. Well, if you're so smart, let's do a little experiment. Let's see if Little-Miss Opal Winters can figure out how to fix a flat and ride home before the Heavens open, shall we? The clock's ticking…"

TJ leaned in to square up to Opal. Even though Opal was one of the tallest in her grade, her eye line only reached his chin.

She clenched her fists tightly behind her back. Unlike Kayley who wouldn't think twice before kicking up a fight or an argument, Opal was a girl of logic. There was three of them and one of her, do the math.

Staring down daggers at her, TJ hissed, "I'll go, but before I do, I want an apology."

Across the road, Ash looked on as the two exchanged remarks and threats. She recognized the girl from lunch and before, remembering how Kayley and Amethyst had helped her against Trish's gang. Ash wasn't the sort of person to help out just to repay a favour. She knew the semi-shy girl didn't like fighting at the best of times, but as she was outnumbered it made the situation ten times worse.

"Is there a problem here?" Ash called, walking over to step between Opal and the towering TJ.

TJ smiled and returned the same glare. "Aw, it's the new girl!" he derisively announced. "I didn't quite catch your name sweetheart."

Ash clenched her fist and smiled maliciously. She wasn't a tall girl but her fierce stance matched TJ's undoubtedly. "First off, don't you ever call me sweetheart. Second, you never answered my question: Is there a problem here?"

"That depends," TJ countered, "There's no problem unless nerd bait refuses to apologize for that insult against me this afternoon."

Ash drew a blank. She leant back so Opal could quietly explain. Once she had, Ash let out an small laugh and said, "Okay, that is pretty funny."

"No it's not!" TJ objected. "And if I ever hear you call me that again…"

"Call you what, Bubblebrain?" Opal asked innocently, stepping next to Ash.

"That! Bubblebrain!"

Ash desperately tried to muffle her laughter, thinking, _"You're digging a hole, Opal…"_

Opal shot her head to Ash, thinking she heard her say something. Passing it off as nothing, she smiled and returned her attention to TJ. "Okay, Bubblebrain. If it bothers you that much I will refrain from calling you Bubblebrain."

"Opal…" Ash warned quietly with contained laughter. She could see TJ's temper rising with every passing second, and he seemed like the type of jerk who wouldn't hesitate to hit anyone, even girls.

"What is the matter Bubblebrain?" Opal taunted, sweetly. "Gum got your tongue?"

"THAT'S-" TJ began to yell, swinging a fist down on Opal.

"RUN!" Ash shouted, luckily grabbing and pulling Opal out of harm's way just in time with one hand and pushing the air in front of TJ with the other.

The force, somehow, thrust TJ back into his little army and then to the floor. Confusedly rubbing his head, he commanded, "Don't just stand there - get them!"

His cronies obeyed, taking to the chase.

"How did you-" Opal began, but she didn't know how to finish the question.

"Never mind that, we have to outrun these bozos." Ash groaned, pulling hard on Opal's arm in a desperate attempt to speed her up. The pair dived down a side street and ducked behind the wall, panting heavily.

Opal coughed twice before she had enough breath to ask, "Okay, now tell me-"

Ash hushed her and peered around the wall. Bruiser and Puck were closing in. Ash knew they needed a head start, but it would be risky. However, Ash didn't have enough time to debate whether or not she could trust Opal. She'd just have to trust to luck because she needed to act now.

"Stay quiet and try not to scream, okay?" Ash instructed. Opal stepped forward to argue but Ash shushed her just in time. "Trust me," Ash begged, near desperate.

Ash took a deep breath and vanished. The on looking Opal stumbled backwards into the dumpster behind her and watched as Bruiser and Puck seemed to trip over thin air, painfully falling to the concrete. Then, she was being dragged away again. As they were running, Ash slowly began to fade into sight.

Once they'd made it into the busy town centre, Ash and Opal stopped running and began to blend in with the crowd.

"Okay, I have held on long enough. Who… WHAT are you?!" Opal demanded, checking over her shoulder as she half expected TJ and his crew to reappear at any moment.

Ash chuckled, but it turned into a cough. "As far as I'm aware, I'm still me. The invisibility is just a cool add on."

"YOU CAN TURN INVISIBLE AND YOU ARE CASUAL ABOUT IT?!" Opal yelled, so loud across the street were drawn to the noise. Ash hissed her quiet and whispered, "Keep it down, will ya? I don't want half of Pinewood thinking I'm a freak or something."

The pair walked down another little off-road away from all the crowds.

"Well then what are you?" Opal pressed, volume lower.

"Like I said, I'm me. The invisibility has been going on long enough now that I'm kinda used to it. Well, a few weeks isn't long, but never mind. Besides, I'm not the only one at Lakewood with cool 'add-ons', am I?"

Opal's eyes grew wide and she gulped, asking, "How did you know about that?"

Ash regarded her carefully. "I was talking about Amethyst Cook's mind control stunt which I assume you knew about. I didn't know you had any powers - well, until now."

Opal looked down at the ground. "I do not have any powers," she tried, but Ash wasn't buying it.

Ash tilted Opal's chin up, looked at her sincerely and said, "Opal, you can trust me. I promise."

Opal nodded shyly and explained, "I can read thoughts."

Ash smiled. "Psychic huh?" she mused. "Pretty impressive. But that's not all you can do, is it?"

Opal didn't reply but her pleading eyes begged Ash not to pry.

Ash brushed past that. "It's something powerful. Something you're secretly proud of but would tell anyone about…" Ash leaned in closer, tone serious. "What is it Opal?"

Opal sighed and shuffled awkwardly in place. Ash was right. Totally right. She was proud of herself, yet too scared to tell anyone about it. She didn't even tell Natalie. But, taking into consideration all Ash had shown her she decided that this was no worse. Therefore, she stepped back, closed her eyes tightly and held out an upturned palm.

Ash gasped and virtually fell into the brick wall behind her as the fire washed over Opal's hand.

"I like fire…" Opal managed, finally.

Ash peered in to take a closer look. "And it doesn't hurt?"

Opal shook her head. "It tickles."

Ash looked at the fire thoughtfully. "Cool!" she exclaimed, then asking, "How long how long have you been able to do this?"

"I have always loved fire," Opal explained. "But the summoning is quite recent. You must not tell a soul about this, agreed?"

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine?" Ash offered. Opal quickly agreed.

Ash smiled and then checked her watch. It was half four. Ash promised to help her Dad unpack after school and dinner was at five sharp. To add to that, navigating the city was still hard for her so add on an extra half an hour…

"I'm going to miss dinner," Ash stated.

Opal checked her own watch. "It is only half four though."

"We eat at five and I promised I'd help my Dad with the rest of the boxes."

Opal nodded. "Wow. You eat extraordinarily early. Well, thank you for… everything. I do not know what to say past that."

"Me neither," Ash grinned. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school on Monday then?"

Opal replied, "Of course. That is…" she remembered something. "Say, Kayley, Amethyst and I are going to Pinewood Plaza tomorrow. The food court does 'burgers to die for' as Amethyst so plainly puts it. Would you like to come?"

"That'd be awesome!" Ash grinned. "I'm still hopelessly lost. If I can get to grips with one of the 'landmarks' it'd be great." Ash winced. "Hey, any chance you could you pick me up? I wouldn't know where to go."

"Certainly - where do you live?"

"I'm not trying to sound like an advert, but Dave's Diner on the corner of Fifth and Maple. It's new and has a huge flag sat atop it. You shouldn't be able to miss it."

Opal nodded and smiled. "I will see you tomorrow then?"

Ash began to jog away. "Looking forward to it!" she laughed, waving as she ran around the corner.


	6. Traces of the Heart - Chapter Five

Saturday morning. Pinewood's weather seemed to clear up today; the Sun was beaming its glowing rays down upon the working and relaxing citizens. Many of the women in the older generation used the time wisely to arrange the flowers in the garden, hang out some washing or just take it easy in the fresh air. The same couldn't be said for the younger population - they treated the day as any other and many headed to Pinewood Plaza to waste the day indoors.

The girls especially were addicted to the place and suffered argumentative withdrawal symptoms if they were deprived from it…

"But Mother!" Lorelai begged, "I promised I would meet Trish and Sandra at the mall today! It's the grand opening of La Cliché 35 - only the best clothing store in, like, the world!"

"Not until you've cleaned your room," Sophia-Lusanna firmly stated, walking away.

"MOTHER!" Lorelai yelled, but her mother simply ignored her.

Lorelai groaned and stomped up the stairs in a typical teenager-like overdramatic fashion. She slumped against the door to her bedroom.

"It's like Mexico city in my room," Lorelai complained, silently. "I'll never get it cleaned in time…" she took a quick glance at the open window at the end of the landing, before quickly dismissing the idea, reminding herself, "I can't get grounded for the sleepover on Friday. Aw damn… I wish my room would just clean itself for a change! I wish I wish I wish!"

Suddenly, a large *thud* against her door threw Lorelai into the banister in front of her.

Confused, she dusted herself off and went to investigate. However, after rattling the doorknob several times, it still wouldn't budge. "What the…"

She tried again. And again. And finally…

"Well, what do you know?" Lorelai marvelled, though too humourlessly for what she had just witnessed. "I can't believe it! I mean, a few little ornaments sure… but this?"

Lorelai gazed around at the all the rows of trinkets and jewellery and pictures neatly filed away on shelves. It was so perfectly arranged even her OCD Mother would approve!

Inside her walk-in closet she found dresses, skirts, shirts and more all miraculously picking themselves up and hanging themselves on the clothes hanger.

"All it took was a little wishful thinking, eh?" Lorelai beamed, skipping out of the room.

She grabbed her shoulder bag and opened the front door, joyfully calling, "Bye Mom, I'm off to the mall!"

"Now hold on a minute young lady," her Mother halted her, continuing, "You are not taking one step out of this house until your bedroom is tidy."

"But it is, Mother," Lorelai assured, sweetly.

Her Mother looked her over sternly. "Don't move," she ordered, walking upstairs. A few moments later she walked back down again, meeting her daughter's pleased grin. She nodded once and Lorelai bounded out of the house. "Thanks Mother!" she called, closing the door on her way out.

As she pranced down the path, she stopped to examine her little flower plot. Despite her hatred of dirt, Lorelai had always had a soft spot for flowers. Bending down, she examined each of the tulips and roses in turn. They were all as full of life as ever, despite the cold Connecticut temperatures of mid-January. It was a miracle, really. All her Mother's flowers had died off months ago. Lorelai suspected she was a tad envious. Nevertheless, they were blooming. With the wispy scent of rose petals refreshing her mind, she walked on.

* * *

Kayley and Amethyst stood on the corner of Second Street, kicking up dust from the pavement. It wasn't like Opal to be late.

Soon though, she jogged up to them, apologizing for her tardiness.

"Where's your bike?" Kayley inquired.

Opal regarded her with hateful eyes.

"Whoa, sorry I asked," Kayley laughed.

"Sorry," Opal apologized, shaking her head. "I spent all evening trying to repair a puncture, courtesy of TJ. Apparently he remembered the 'Bubblebrain' remark. Either way, it is not safe to ride yet."

"Ha! Sucks to be you, doesn't it?" Amethyst chuckled, feigning a cower when Opal glared at her.

They all began walking, starting up idle conversation as they went. When they reached the first crossing, Opal asked, "Would it be a trouble to pass by Fifth and Maple?"

Kayley and Amethyst looked at her, the latter asking, "It'd be quicker this way," she motioned down the street. "Why do ya wanna pass down there?"

"I asked Ash, the new student, if she would like to join us today. Any qualms?"

"None," Kayley nodded, and Amethyst agreed, saying, "She seems pretty cool, actually. The girl damn-near saved my life yesterday!"

Opal ears pricked up. "Do tell!" she insisted.

Amethyst relayed the entire drama known as 'swim class' to her. Opal listened intently, mildly riveted. Not much goes on around Lakewood - this was a fresh story.

She noted that yesterday had been very eventful, coinciding with Ash's arrival, but she avoided her story of Ash's invisibility stunt, knowing she promised she would keep quiet. Opal was a girl of her word.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the diner. Timidly walking inside, they found it bustling with life. There were busy workers drinking coffee whilst babbling on cell phones, people enjoying an all-American style fry-up or settling for something a little less… mountainous… with a little plate of pancakes or waffles.

Then, from the back, burst a teenage girl sporting a traditional white apron and carrying two plates of syrup flooded pancakes topped with cherries and strawberries. "Order up! Double pancakes extra syrup!" she called. Moments later somebody at the far corner of the diner yelled back, "Nineteen!"

The girl then proceeded to run, trays perfectly balanced, to the table. Rushing back, she stopped when she noticed her welcoming party. "Hey guys!" she grinned, rubbing her forehead. "Busy, huh?"

"You work here, Ash?" questioned Amethyst, hesitantly.

"No, this is my street attire," Ash remarked, displaying her grease covered apron in all its glory. "Are we ready to go?"

"Sure - if you can escape," Kayley replied.

Ash did a quick scan of the room. "Twenty seconds," she stated, darting back behind the curtain.

The three left in her dust trail regarded their surroundings, not sure why they were so dazed. _I mean, the girl said her Dad owned a diner. Why wouldn't she work there?_

Either way, they stood there like immobile lemmings awaiting her return.

After eighteen seconds passed, Ash dived back out of the curtain now sporting baggy jeans and a long sleeved shirt. The apron, sadly, had vanished.

Ash smiled. "Sorry about that. We've only been open for a _morning_ and the place is a nightmare. Where are we heading again?"

* * *

Walking down the cluttered Saturday morning streets, Kayley, Amethyst and Opal began chatting with Ash, asking her how she was finding Lakewood so far (as Kayley never did get her answer the previous afternoon).

"So far so good," Ash replied. "I've never been to a private school before though,"

"It's not private," Kayley corrected. "Our Principal is just so prehistoric he makes us wear stupid uniforms. I'd like to think you'd get better people than TJ and Trish if you went to a private school."

"Don't worry though," Amethyst broke in, "Natural selection should soon filter those types out."

Ash chuckled. "Well, Lakewood so far has lived up to expectation and excelled. I've had more drama in one day than all my other schools combined!"

"How many schools have you been in?" Opal inquired.

"I lost count after fifteen. My family used to travel a lot when we were with the carnival."

After crossing the next intersection, Pinewood Plaza was in site. The Plaza towered twice the height of neighbouring buildings and was driving more attention and crowds than the Pied Piper.

Kayley smiled. "So what's your trade then, Carny girl?"

Ash laughed. "Oh, I don't have a trade. That wasn't my gig. I picked up a few things though, but nothing spectacular."

"Like what?" Opal inquired.

Ash thought for a moment, hesitating for the right words. "I can read people," she finally said. "I guess it's barely a skill but it got me some extra pocket money when used _correctly_."

Opal crinkled her brow. "What do you mean, 'read people'?"

"Well, I can find a lot about them just by looking at them."

Kayley smiled, knowingly. "Like a psychic, huh?"

Ash rapidly shook her head and said, "Oh nononononono… there's no such thing as psychics."

"What do you mean, 'no such thing a psychics'?" Amethyst protested.

Opal rolled her eyes. "Psychics are just smoke and mirrors. Con artists. Deceivers. They can't really read people."

Ash crinkled her brow. "Exactly. But, on the contrary," she began, "You don't have to be a psychic to be able to read somebody. It's fairly straightforward, so anyone could do it."

"So… you're not a psychic," Kayley checked, "but you're able to read people just _like_ a psychic. Nah, don't buy it."

"That's understandable I guess, but reading people is just a simple game of attention to detail. Here, from watching you I could say…" Ash turned and pointed at Kayley. "You are undoubtedly a tomboy. You love sports, especially one which you play avidly. You aren't powerful enough for contact sports so I'd go for something a little more girly. Your fingers aren't wrinkled so that counts out swimming. Your palms aren't bruised so you don't play softball. Judging by the state of your almost bruised wrists, I'd say volleyball."

Kayley kept her smile reserved. "Alright, alright. But anyone could have guessed that. What else ya got?"

Ash examined Kayley, closely yet distantly, if that makes any sense. "Let's see… you don't like contact sports because you aren't powerful in yourself, yet that glare in your eye says you have a quick temper." Ash regarded her knowingly, "There's something about you, a bit like a Napoleon complex… something which you're trying to better yourself in. What's your Achilles heel?"

Amethyst started a spontaneous coughing fit. In the middle of it she spluttered, "*cough* *cough*… Her height… *cough* *cough*"

Ash raised a questioning eyebrow to Kayley.

"Wow… you sure have me pegged…" Kayley mumbled, sardonically.

Ash smiled, pitifully. "I didn't mean to come across as rough. I'm sorry. It's just that once I start I can't stop."

"It's okay," Kayley assured, trying to lighten her own mood by grinning. "So how did you get all of that just by looking at me? You don't even know me."

"I can tell lots of things just by looking at people," Ash repeated. "Am I far-fetched by saying you like crime movies? No, wait, action movies?"

"Yeah, I love them!" Kayley answered. "How'dya know?"

"You like fights and violence. My first thought was crime but that's too dark for you… so I thought action."

"Oh oh oh! Do me do me do me!" Amethyst pleaded, jumping up and down like an excited puppy dog.

Ash chuckled, turning to Amethyst. "You are a drama nut. It's no doubt your favourite subject and maybe even your life's ambition. You love being the centre of attention, especially when it comes to testing the patience of others. You're the comedian of the group for sure."

"That is pure amateur talk," scoffed Opal, teasingly. "You would only have to spend a mere thirty seconds in a room with Amy to know that!"

Amethyst glared sternly at Opal.

"I also know you loathe being called Amy" Ash added. "You're not a girly girl but you love pop music, which I assume the others despise you for?"

Kayley and Opal nodded rapidly.

"You aren't shy on the outside, but you have a certain reserved streak about you. Now this confident persona isn't an act, so I assume your flaws are in your fears. Mice? Snakes? Blood?"

"…heights, bees, machinery…" Kayley joined in, turning to Opal who added, "…vegetables, the dark, spiders…"

"Well who doesn't hate spiders?" Amethyst defended, albeit she was fighting a losing battle.

Ash laughed. "And then there was one…" she turned to Opal with a wicked grin.

"Uh-uh." Opal demanded, though it came out pleadingly. Backing away, she said, "I do not care for you being inside my head."

"I don't need to go inside you head to know that you are a passionate writer. That was easy to decipher as the ink on your fingers is a dead giveaway. You love to read, especially crime novels. You have a sort of protective stance, so I assume you are quite shy around those you don't know so well. Ah - _you're_ the violent one!"

"Violent is a push…" Opal tried.

Amethyst shrugged. "A push, a punch, whatever you feel like at the time…"

Opal shot round and Amethyst feigned another cower.

Ash smiled, taking in the friendly atmosphere. "These two will fight anyone who asks, but I sense you don't like hand-to-hand confrontation. You fight when you're angry, mainly. However, you'd rather take a step back when these two kick up a ruckus, yes?"

Opal nodded, seeing as there was no point trying to twist Ash's words to make them sound less… blatant.

After a few moments breather, Amethyst grinned and said, "Well, I think your little mind trickery is pretty cool, but you couldn't be more wrong about psychics. They're real."

"Let's agree to disagree, shall we?" Ash offered, extending a friendly hand to Amethyst, who gladly accepted.


	7. Traces of the Heart - Chapter Six

"You know, we could have got a much better spot if you hadn't turned up late, Lorelai," Trish spat, leaning out to take in the full velocity of the line ahead. There were at least a hundred people in front and the new store would admit only ten at a time on the first day. A stupid idea, really. Bad for business.

Either way, the wait would be long. Tediously long. The store doors weren't going to open for another half an hour but no-one was popping out even for drinks as they know how harsh women can be when it comes to 'line cutters'. _These girls could be vicious._

Lorelai shrugged, helplessly. Nothing could be done now.

* * *

Kayley, Amethyst, Opal and Ash sat with an array of food spread out between them on 'junk food' terrace of the food court, oblivious Trish and her minions stood below them.

"…oh my gosh…" Ash managed to get out through fits of laughter. "So, she just ripped it up, right in front of his face?"

"Yep!" Kayley exclaimed, giving Amethyst a pat on the back hard enough to almost knock the drink out of her hand. "That's our Amy!"

"It wasn't that brave," Amethyst reasoned, modestly.

"_Please_! He was set to bite your head off if you had refrained from out of the room!" Opal argued, laughing.

"Wait, she legged it as well?!" Ash gasped, eyes bugged out.

Swallowing the bite of hamburger she had in her mouth, Kayley added, "At the speed she was going, she could have made it to Iowa by the morning!"

The four collapsed in laughter, Ash especially. Taking a seat back, Ash reflected how lucky she was to meet these four on her first day. These girls didn't seem 'fake' as her supposed 'friends' were in her last school. These girls seemed genuine and Ash appreciated that.

"I'll be right back…" Ash said, walking from the table towards the restrooms. On her way, she glimpsed over the balcony to see what all the fuss was down there. When they walked in they'd been a huge crowd of people lining up and down the Plaza. Some shop opening, or something.

Lo and behold, the first head she spotted was Trish's perfectly styled long blonde hair. Next to her Ash recognized Sandra's slightly shorter curled brunette do and Lorelai's wavy black hair. They were right below her. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

Ash hurried back to the table. To Amethyst, she asked, "Hey, on a scale of one to pissed how mad are you at Trish for near killing you yesterday?" it was delivered so innocently yet so matter-of-factly it was disorientating.

"Why's that?" Amethyst queried.

Ash raised her eyebrows and a small smile formed. "Just tell me,"

"Umm… pissed, I guess," Amethyst hesitated. "I'm not surprised by what she did if that's what you're after, but I still hate that… that witch." Amethyst replied, growling her last remark whilst crushing her empty coke cup.

Ash nodded, seriously. "Be right back,"

Ash darted off, leaving a puzzled Amethyst in her wake. "O~kay…"

Moments later, she rushed past them carrying four raspberry slushy cups. "Follow me," she instructed, grinning, before quickly dashing off again.

The three hastened after her.

She stopped at an empty area of balcony where the potted plants and fake bushes didn't clamour. She peeped over to make sure she was in the right spot and then asked, "How fast can you guys run?"

"Fast enough," Kayley responded, instantly. "But why?"

Ash clocked the three nearest security guards, then the fastest route to the pedestrian exit. She noted that the escalators and stairs were overcrowded, so some tricky parkour-like jumping may be in order. Ash quickly concluded that the others probably couldn't follow her with that, and that Ash was no ninja herself. Then, she spotted a disabled ramp leading to an unpopulated walkway which would take them to the fire escapes. "Perfect," she smiled, wickedly.

Turning back to the group, she each handed them a slushy and said, "We're going to give our _friends_ a little payback…" she motioned for them to look over the edge. There Trish and her entourage stood, twiddling their thumbs, unsuspecting of the planned oncoming air attack.

Kayley looked over the cup in her hand. "You can't be serious," she shook her head.

"Deadly," Ash nodded.

"I love it!" Kayley exclaimed, grinning wildly. Amethyst concurred, but noted, "What about security - they'll throw us out the second these babies hit home."

"I already thought of that," Ash explained, quickly spelling out their getaway.

"Are you in, Opal?" Ash asked, hopefully.

Opal smiled, devilishly. "You, Miss Anderson, are a bad influence," she walked up to the front of the balcony. "And I am going first," she declared.

"Uh-uh, we all do it at the same time, alright?" Amethyst insisted, arming her cup… however one does that.

"Right, on three then,"

"…One…"

"…Two…"

"HEY TRISHA!" Amethyst yelled, catching the attention of half the mall along with her prey. "HOPE YOU LIKE RASPBERRIES, BITCH!"

"Three!" Ash exclaimed, and the four simultaneously unleashed the contents of the icy drink over the edge and nailing their targets right on the top of their heads.

Trish and the other two gasped, glued in place as the freezing drink ran its way all over their bodies and worst of all, through their hair.

* * *

"HEY!" a security guard yelled from across the food court.

"That's our queue…" Ash mumbled, pushing the gang into a sprint as they dived for the exit.

The security guard reached for the walkie-talkie on his belt. "Security, we have some runners heading over to the east block emergency exit. Four girls in their young teens, one tall, glasses..."

As he began listing off descriptions, the girls had already made it half way to freedom. Suddenly though, a tall, stocky security guard jumped out in their path in a wrestling-like pose. "Stop right there!" he ordered.

Opal and Ash dodged around him and Kayley, seeing she was on a collision course straight for him, slickly slid through his legs on the slippery floor.

"What the-" the guard mumbled, dumbstruck. When he looked up, he snapped back into reality quickly enough to grab Amethyst's arm as she ran by.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, squirming about in his grasp.

"Oh no, security wants a little talk with you…" the guard began dragging her away.

"Guys!" Amethyst yelled.

Ash, Kayley and Opal stopped dead in their tracks and spun around.

"Aw crackers…" Ash panted, exasperated.

Kayley shot her head to Ash and ordered, "Run in, slam into his back as fast as you can. Wait for me to crouch down in front of him first though."

Ash nodded and Kayley sprinted off.

Ash darted after her, and when Kayley was ready to get into position, Ash threw herself full force into the security guards back.

I guess it's true what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

When the guard hit the floor after tripping over Kayley he hit the ground with the noise of a giant Redwood crashing to Earth. All that was missing was for Opal to yell, "Timber!"

Kayley pulled Amethyst off the floor and away from him and the four began running again.

"Are you okay?" Kayley asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Amethyst replied. "You guys really helped me dodge a bullet with that one!"

"That was so… exhilarating!" Opal exclaimed, jumping down the fire exit stairs three at a time.

Ash grinned. "Well, she deserved a little comeuppance, agreed?"

Everyone did, but Amethyst was the first to note, "She is going to kill us on Monday. _Actually_ kill us. I might wear a bulletproof vest to school."

"It's not a bad idea…" Kayley agreed, frowning.

Ash jumped in front of them, the sudden stop knocking Amethyst into Kayley. Ash held out her hands to halt them and said, "You guys need to stop worrying so much!"

"You stop worrying when Trish cuts off each of your fingers with nail clippers," Opal countered.

"Don't worry!" Ash assured, "I got your back!"

Suddenly, before any more could be said or done, a loud thunderous rumble of footsteps came crashing into the stairwell. "They went this way!" someone yelled.

The four instantly assumed that it was a couple of the mall's security guards.

"Shit," Ash breathed, sprinting off again with the others closely in tow.

* * *

Monday rolled around once more. Notoriously, Monday's were the most dreaded and therefore most boring day of the week. This was not different. Opal sat, lost in her thoughts as a background noise of numbers and formulas she'd learnt in middle school rolled by. It was one of Mrs Knight's math lessons which never fails to live up to its standards… of being unbelievably crap.

_"…Hmm… if I were invisible… would I use my superpowers to fight crime or for evil…?"_

A thought popped into Opal's head. It was a good one - debatable, at least. Something to keep her occupied for a little while. The problem was, it wasn't hers.

_"…I mean, _obviously_ I'd use it for practical reasons… like sneaking out of class right now without being noticed… although, they'd see me disappear and there's always the thing about my empty seat…"_

Not Opal either. It sounded like Kayley's voice._ "Kayley?" _she hesitated._ "How did you get inside of my head?"_

Kayley lifted her head from her math book and turned around to Opal, mouthing, "Did you say someth-"

"Miss Fisher?" Mrs Knight interrupted. Kayley shot her head around. "As you were so blatantly paying attention, what's the answer?"

Kayley gulped and stared hopelessly down at her page, mainly full of stick drawings. "Umm…" she stalled. Mrs Knight tapped her toes impatiently.

_"…X = two to the power of nine squared…"_

Kayley crinkled her brow._ "Wait, what?"_

_"Just trust me,"_

Kayley bit her lip and repeated, "X = two to the power of nine squared?"

Mrs Knight stood aghast. "Y-Yes… that's correct," she confirmed, clearing her throat before returning to her teaching.

* * *

"My hero, champion…" Kayley continued to list, jumping excitedly through the hallway. She stopped in front of Opal. "How did you do it anyway?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Opal returned, dodging past her.

Kayley rushed to catch up. "Well this is great! I'll never have to study again!"

Opal chuckled. "Cease that idea," she halted. "I do not know what that was back there, but I am not helping you cheat on all your tests."

"Why not?"

"It is immoral. I do not cheat or lie."

Kayley flapped her arms wildly. "You want to be a lawyer!" she exclaimed.

"_I_ do not," Opal corrected. "_I _want to be a writer."

Kayley accepted that. "Nevertheless…"

Opal rolled her eyes and walked on.

* * *

English class. The entire class was subjected to a boring poetry lecture by 'Mr Monotone' himself, Professor Blankly. _Nobody_ was paying attention, but it wasn't as if he noticed. Opal was trying to do something productive in the English class and write short stories, something she loved to do in all her dull classes. She didn't have to pay attention in any of her classes - she passed them anyway.

Amethyst was sleeping, probably. Kayley couldn't tell from her seat. And Kayley herself was doodling in her hand.

Kayley always drew on her hands and arms 'like a canvas' as Amethyst had once put it. _It was the only thing keeping her sane at the moment._

She'd been drawing this one creation for about two minutes now. Kayley had zoned out and was just randomly seeing what she could come up with without looking.

It was as if the pen had a mind of its own; Kayley didn't know what she was drawing, but she felt like it had to be drawn. She let the pen go as slow as it liked. It was English class - there was no rush.

After she thought the pen had enough fun, Kayley decided to take a peek at her 'masterpiece'. What she saw in fact was something completely unexpected; something completely fresh to her mind. She loved her 'tattoos' from various different cultures, but this was… well, different. Oriental, maybe?

On the palm of her hand sat five symbols, still dripping wet from the black ink. They were surprisingly neat from drawing without focussing. The first, a curved equals sign; the second, an incomplete triangle; the third, a swirl in the shape of a large wave; the fourth, a circle with a dot in the centre; the fifth, a symbol similar to the wave, only standing upright with sharper, square edges.

Kayley admired her handiwork. In fact, she admired it so much she didn't want to take her eyes off it. She couldn't take her eyes off it. It was mesmerizing to say the least. So mesmerizing that it actually started to make Kayley feel dizzy. The symbols seemed to dance off her hand and flash with colour as they flew towards her.

Kayley squinted, momentarily studying them before her eyes grew huge. The world around her started spinning and Kayley shot her head around, rapidly trying to find something that wasn't travelling at a hundred miles an hour. Her breathing quickly became short and panicked. Trying to regain some sort of reality, she clutched at her now throbbing chest and head, but it was no use.

Her eyes weakened. In a matter of seconds she fell faint and slid off her chair, collapsing on the floor below…

* * *

[AUTHORS NOTE: To the one person reading this: Hello! Traces of the Heart is now complete. My next chapter is currently titled, 'The Heart's New Guardians' but that is a mere working title and likely to change. I'm not even considering posting that until I'm on a clear and easy path regarding storylines and characters, so don't hold your breath. It'll be a while. Thanks for reading though! I hope you enjoy the next chapter as well!]


	8. The Heart's New Guardians - Chapter One

There was black. Lots of black. Not the dark as night black, no. More the dreamy, misty black you always see in movies when the characters are trying to 'find themselves' in their dreams.

"H-Hello…?" Kayley called, though honestly she felt stupid for even trying. She didn't expect anyone to answer. She rubbed her head, only to realize it wasn't hurting anymore. That was a plus side.

_"…hello…my child…"_ a faint disembodied voice answered. The voice seemed to float around her on waves like a sheet of music.

Kayley snapped still, trying to hold back her shaking. She bit her lip. "W-Who's there?" she stuttered, not succeeding in acting confident one bit.

_"My name is Oracle…"_ The voice was getting stronger and clearer now. Kayley could make out it was a woman's voice who's age seemed to reflect her infinite wisdom. _"…and you need not fear me, my child…"_

Almost instinctively, Kayley relaxed. It was almost as if her words were an order. They were too soothing, too comforting and reassuring for Kayley to think anything else but that she was safe in her presence.

_"Ah, I can sense that you trust me now… good…"_ The Oracle observed, hearteningly_. "Now, I didn't summon myself here to simply converse with you, did I child?"_

"You didn't?" Kayley queried, curious.

_"Not at all… I am here to answer your questions… questions that you haven't dared ask before…"_

Kayley remained silent, waiting.

_"In the past few weeks, you may have noticed some, irregular happenings surrounding yourself and your friends?"_

Kayley just looked around, blankly.

_"I am here because you and your friends have a duty,"_ the Oracle continued, "_That you all serve a purpose, and have an allegiance to a goal higher than royalty. You have a destiny, young Guardian. A destiny that will control the fate of the world's surrounding you. Do you follow, young Guardian?"_

Kayley hesitated. "Wait, why do you keep calling me Guardian? If you are my subconscious mind you should at least know my name is Kayley…"

_"I am not your subconscious mind, young child,"_ the Oracle established. _"And it is only courtesy for me to address you by your title, Guardian. You see…"_

The blackness around Kayley rippled into a map of the… solar system?

"I didn't learn about a solar system like this in science class…" Kayley thought to herself.

The Oracle, seemingly reading her thoughts, confirmed_, "This is not your solar system, young Guardian. This is a map of the world's surrounding Earth, not the planets…"_

"What's the difference?" Kayley asked, confused.

_"There are three boundaries of travel in our universe. Planets are what we can visit using technology like rocket ships. Worlds are places we can visit using the aid of magical technology by ripping through the fabric of the plains. The last is dimensions, or 'parallel universes' if you please. They are the ones that even our magical technology cannot breach. This map I show before you is of the second boundary, worlds that exist alongside the plain of Earth that we can visit via the aid of magic."_

"You keep using 'magic' too much for my liking, Oracle," Kayley quavered. It didn't feel right speaking defiantly to this voice. She held too much power. Kayley noted, "Magic doesn't exist."

The Oracle chuckled, warmly. _"There is so much you have yet to learn, young Guardian. You contain a magic deep inside you, and so do your friends. Those that you met after Opal's fire incident yesterday."_

"What fire incident?"

_"Opal never told you about how you got your burn, did she? Well, I'm afraid to say that burn was of my doing. I enticed Opal to bath her hand in the fire, knowing that she would become immune… but I transferred the effects to you and the others, hoping that you would recognize that you have a bond greater than any friendship."_

"No, I'm afraid searing pain kind of clouds your thoughts…" Kayley hissed, subconsciously rubbing her scorched palm. "Wasn't there _any_ other way to do that? You know, something a little less painful. Invite us all out bowling, maybe?"

The Oracle smiled, not that Kayley would see. _"Guardian, you must hush, for I have very important information to tell you that will in turn answer all of those burning questions you ignore deep inside you. Can you listen?"_

It was something about that damn voice. It was hypnotizing. In an instant, Kayley's outrage vanished and she simply replied, "Yes,"

_"Good. I hoped that would be your response,"_

One world enlarged itself into greater focus from the rest.

_"This is a world called Kandrakar," the Oracle explained. "And it is the centre of Infinity. Kandrakar offers protection to numerous different worlds, one being Earth. There are people called Guardians, five young girls that are the ambassadors of Kandrakar. They are the magical protectors of these worlds, possessing the abilities of the Heart of Kandrakar."_

A crystal gem faded into view. "H-Hey… that's one of the drawings from my notebook…" Kayley noted, hesitantly. The crystal jewel was of a small pink shimmering stone placed loosely inside a casing of thin sphere shaped silver wire, dangling from a short string with a small silver catch.

The gem floated and landed in the palm of Kayley's hand. It sparkled in her blue eyes, and Kayley felt at home with its comforting presence in her hands. She could feel the pulsing energy inside of it, but as she drew it closer to herself to cradle it, it vanished.

_"What may be tangible in this world is not in yours,"_ the Oracle informed. _"But it shall be yours, very soon…"_

"Wait," Kayley checked, "So you're saying that I'm supposed to be one of these Guardian thingies?"

_"Exactly,"_ the Oracle confirmed. _"And you are to be their leader, the bearer of the Heart of Kandrakar and the Guardian of Quintessence."_

"Quin-what now?"

_"Quintessence,"_ the Oracle explained, _"is the fifth element, similar to electricity. It has the power to make things come alive."_

Immediately, Kayley's mind shot to her calculator, James. "So I wasn't crazy…" she thought. "But I'll have to remind myself of that once I wake up. I'd have changed my mind by then…"

_"You are not _crazy_, young Guardian,"_ the Oracle assured, reading her thoughts. _"None of you are…"_

The Oracle transformed the floor in front of Kayley into four faded pictures covered in a thin layer of mist.

_"These are the other four Guardians,"_ the Oracle announced, in case Kayley hadn't put two and two together earlier.

Kayley recognized the faces instantly.

The Oracle listed, _"Opal Winters, Guardian of fire; Amethyst Cook, Guardian of water; Ash Anderson, Guardian of air, and-"_

"Oh no," Kayley whined. "Why? Why her?! There's seven billion people in this world… **why her?!** I mean, I barely know Ash but at least she's a nice person. But Lorelai Clove?! I hate her! Couldn't you have picked someone better, like Lia or Tee or someone?"

_"In time, you and the earth Guardian will grow close,"_ the Oracle assured. _"And I chose her only as much as the Heart itself. You were all chosen for a purpose, young Guardian. An evil is arising from its prison and I fear that its intent is worse than we could possibly imagine…"_

Kayley considered this for a few long moments, and then snapped up, something striking her at full velocity. It was realization. "Wait a second, this is all a dream. Hahaha! To think I was actually suckered in to all of that Guardian crap!"

Kayley broke down laughing. Once she calmed herself she said, "Well listen, _Oracle_, it's been fun. Really, a pleasure - but I think I should get back to class now, don't you?"

_"As you wish, young Guardian,"_ the Oracle accepted, calmly. _"Though may I ask but one favour of you?"_

Kayley shrugged. "Sure, why the Hell not?"

_"While I understand your scepticism, it is vital that you comprehend and accept your duty soon. There are beings out there that know of your destiny and will target you because of it. I have a friend on Earth who will validate everything you've been told. All I ask is you speak with her."_

"Who is she?" Kayley inquired, tentatively. "And what do you mean, target me?"

The Oracle ignored the last part of Kayley's question and said, _"To you, I believe she is your Earth Physics teacher."_

"What, Miss Cook?" Kayley checked, puzzled.

_"Indeed. All I ask is that you go to her and relay what I have told you. She has something for you."_

Before Kayley could protest, the Oracle said, _"It has been an honour talking to you, young Guardian, but now we must part ways. Listen…"_

_"…Kayley… wake up!..." _The voices were ever so faint, like they had been yelled into a thick pillow.

_"Your friends are calling you,"_ the Oracle noted. _"Goodbye Guardian. I do hope our paths shall cross again someday…"_

"Wait! Don't go!" Kayley found herself yelling, but she was too late. The Oracle was gone.

_"…Kayley… Kayley come on!..."_ the distant muffled voices persisted. The world around Kayley began to shimmer and shine to mask the fading of all colour and tangible surroundings. The black glowed into a warmer white and soon Kayley herself was transparent.

_"…Kayley…are you okay?..."_ the voices rose in volume.

Kayley didn't want this world to fade away. Not yet, anyway. She forced herself to stay in the dream with every ounce of strength she possessed, but her eyelids were too heavy to stay open under the pressure. One blink, and she would return to reality…

"Kayley!" Amethyst exclaimed, sighing with relief.

Slowly, Kayley prised her eyes open and sighed, defeated. "Hello ceiling…" Kayley groaned in greeting, staring up at the bright lights overhead before concerned faces loomed above her, crowding her vision.

Kayley began to sit up but was almost pushed back down by Professor Blankly. "Stay lying down until the nurse gets here," he ordered, voice quivering. Kayley deduced she was in no position to object.

"What happened?" she groaned, carefully moving a hand to her forehead.

"For once, somebody nearly got bored to death in class," Amethyst quipped. A few of the class sniggered but Opal gave Amethyst a warning glare that ordered, 'no time for jokes'

Lia knelt down beside Kayley and asked, "How you doing kiddo? You gave us quite a scare there!"

"…I'm bruised… really bruised… and achy…" Kayley grumbled, wincing as she tried to shift position. "You had to wake me… I was actually more comfortable knocked out if you must know."

"Well, that can be arranged," Opal smirked. Amethyst turned to Opal, mouth gaped open. "Hypocrite! she exclaimed.

Kayley, Amethyst, Opal and Ash ate their lunch behind the bike sheds that day. Despite Ash's Mafia-like protection promise, they were one teammate almost down for the count and didn't want to risk a fight. Not yet, anyway…

"I'm telling you, it happened!" Kayley persisted. She had just finished recounting her dream encounter with the Oracle character, much to their entertainment. Amethyst especially loved a good fantasy story. She emphasized, "It was all so vivid, you know? Like I was really there. She was telling me all about this weird solar system and stuff. It was this whole long speech about-"

"Long speech?" Opal broke in. "Kayley, you were unconscious for mere seconds. Your REM sleep cycle would not have been able to conjure up anything more than a picture or two in that time."

"Wait… seconds?" Kayley checked, perplexed.

Amethyst nodded. "Twenty, max."

Kayley shook her head. "That's not possible."

"I can't explain it," Ash agreed, asking, "How did this dizzy spell come about anyway?"

"Oh, right…" Kayley held out her palm to the three and explained, "I was just drawing these on my hand when all of a sudden they jumped out at me and sent my mind haywire."

Amethyst studied Kayley's hand and then smiled almost sympathetically back to Kayley, "Erm, Kayley…?"

"What?" Kayley pulled back her hand and gasped. The symbols had gone.


	9. The Heart's New Guardians - Chapter Two

Beside the dark and gloomy depths of the Meridian swamps a young shadowy figure, curled up in his black cloak, stares emptily into the flames of his dying fire. The cold air was brutal and the figure shivered where he sat but made no attempt to keep the fire alive. He just watched it wither away into smoking ash.

He began to shiver more violently as he remembered…

_"No! You can't do this to me!" Raven yelled, pulling hard on the shackles that bound his arms and legs._

_"You have been fortunate enough to be spared execution from the fair Queen Weira for no less than treason, now the counsel of Kandrakar will have mercy on you as well…"_

_"This is no mercy!" Raven argued, face burning red with fury and tears. "I did what I thought was right! Can't you understand the foolishness of yourself and the Meridian monarchy?!"_

_The Oracle's face contorted with frustration and sympathy as he said, "There is no foolishness in the workings of Kandrakar, young Raven. The only fool here is yourself…"_

_…the boulder slowly lowered itself shut behind him._

_"NO!" Raven yelled, running to dive underneath but tripped over his own shackles. As the last remnants of natural light ebbed away the Fire Moths danced their random tango in the air, lighting up the cavern. Raven's shackles crumbled to dust, knowing they weren't needed anymore. Raven was trapped._

_He picked himself up off the floor and began pounding at the rocky cage surrounding him but soon he grew weak and tired. "No…" he panted, sliding down the rock to the ground as the full effects of the slumber spell kicked in..._

Raven's shaking became violent. Calmly, he stood himself up, picked up the nearest fair sized log that he could carry and proceeded to whack it against the tree before it surrendered and snapped in half. And then the shaking stopped.

* * *

Amethyst added the next line to the half crumpled up note and tried her best to hide her laughter. She tapped Kayley on the back and sneakily passed it underneath the table. Kayley opened it up and sniggered, adding the next line. She passed it to Opal's desk next to her, who simply tutted and rolled her eyes, passing it on with a faint smile without adding to it.

Ash received the note and added hers and Opal's lines, muttering, "Classic…"

"Miss Anderson?"

Ash quickly hid the note underneath her textbook, failing to look inconspicuous. "Yes, Miss Cook?" she acknowledged, innocently.

Miss Cook folded her arms and said, "I know you're new here and all, but that won't excuse your friends for passing notes," she looked sternly to Amethyst, Kayley and Opal. "You guys know the drill. Hand it over."

Amethyst nodded to Ash who reluctantly passed the note down to the front of the class.

Taranee opened up the note and adjusted her glasses. Crinkling her eyebrows she said, "This is just half the lyrics to the Happy Days theme song."

Kayley winked at Ash and the latter began, "Well Miss, after a long day at school sometimes you just need to pick yourself up and remember that-"

"Sunday Monday happy days," Kayley continued.

Amethyst added, "Tuesday Wednesday happy days,"

"Thursday Friday happy days!" Ash exclaimed.

All three of them stood up and with cliché jazz hands chorused, "Saturday! What a day! Groovin' all week with you! Everybody!"

"THESE DAYS ARE OURS!" Half the class joined in - the most notable and indeed loudest being Tee - while the other half simply laughed.

"OH HAPPY DAYS!"

"Oh happy days!"

"THESES DAYS ARE OURS! OH HAPPY DAYS!"

"Oh happy days!"

"OH HAPPY DAYS!"

Kayley, Amethyst and Ash quietly returned to their seats.

Miss Cook raised her eyebrows and imitated annoyance. "Are you finished?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Kayley gulped. "Yes Ma'am."

"Good," Miss Cook crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash. Turning back to her desk she said, "Now, I could give you detention for passing notes and disturbing my class…"

All four simultaneously gulped. Kayley bit her lip and almost prayed, "Please add a 'but'. Please add a 'but'…"

Miss Cook grinned wickedly as she half turned her head back to the four. "But Fonzie wouldn't like that, would he?"

Kayley jumped up and fist punched the air, cheering, "YES!"

Amethyst high-fived Ash and smiled, "I told you she was an awesome teacher! Pay up!"

Ash rolled her eyes but happily handed over the two dollars in her pocket with a beaming grin.

Opal wiped the few beads of sweat form her forehead and mumbled, "I can't believe you got away with that…"

With that, the final bell to end the class rang and everyone jumped up, quickly packing their equipment away and hurrying out the class.

"Make sure to study pages 293-94 in your textbooks! You're going to need it!" Miss Cook called after them.

Amethyst, Ash and Opal stood at the door, waiting for Kayley to catch up to them. "Come on Kay-Kay!" Amethyst urged, her tone quickly dropping as she said, "The exciting prospect of a chemistry class awaits."

"You guys go on ahead," Kayley insisted. "I'll be there in a minute."

"You sure?" Ash checked.

Kayley nodded.

After she knew they would be out of earshot, Kayley placed her bag down on the front desk and bit her lip, rehearsing the words in her head.

"M-Miss Cook?" Kayley murmured, loud enough to be heard. "Can I ask you a question?"

Miss Cook continued shuffling equipment boxes and in her usually cheery tone replied, "Sure Miss Fisher. What's on your mind?"

Kayley sighed and fumbled, "Well, I don't know why I'm even asking you this. I mean, it's silly really. I just… well…"

Miss Cook chuckled. With a warm grin, she turned around from her boxes and said, "Spit it out, would ya? I've got a Dad with a lazy eye more to the point than you!"

Kayley sighed and smiled. Deciding that direct would be the least humiliating way of saying it, she asked, "What does the name Oracle mean to you?"

Kayley had never seen a smile fade so fast in all her life.

Miss Cook turned back around to the boxes and grumbled, "The Oracle sent you here, did she?"

Kayley stepped back, dumbfounding by this revelation. It wasn't just a dream.

Miss Cook continued, "Well, I'm not going to be her pawn. No way. You can tell her I'm not interested."

"B-But…" Kayley stuttered, trying to find the right words. "How? Wait… what?"

Miss Cook sighed and turned back to Kayley, eyes despondent. "So you're one of the Guardians then? Where's the other four?"

"I-I don't know… they don't know yet…" Kayley hesitated. "So… so it's all true then? I wasn't just dreaming it? No… I don't believe it."

"Believe it alright," Miss Cook snapped.

Kayley stepped back again and studied Miss Cook in a whole new light. "So wait, it was all _real_?" Kayley checked. "The Oracle, the Guardians, Kanhardra… all real?!"

"It's Kandrakar," Miss Cook corrected. "But yes. It's all real. Now listen to me, find the other four Guardians and meet me in my classroom next free period. I'll tell you the deal, give you the crystal and then I want nothing more to do with Kandrakar, understand?"

Kayley didn't move, just crinkled her brow. Miss Cook had always been a friendly and cheery teacher in the past. This little outburst Kayley deemed completely out of character.

Miss Cook could read Kayley's turmoil's just from the perplexed look on her face. Sighing, she smiled faintly and reassured, "Look, don't take it personally kid. Believe me, I have deepest sympathies for you and your friends and I wish you the best, but I swore myself away from Kandrakar years ago. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"Why are you so against the Kanradar?"

"Kandrakar," Miss Cook corrected, chuckling slightly. Thinking of the right answer to Kayley's question, she turned away and said, "Sorry kid, it's kinda personal."

Kayley nodded and reigned in her curiosity. She didn't want to start a classroom feud by prying.

* * *

Kayley trudged home with her bag slumped over her back. The walk back to Third Street wasn't any longer than ten minutes on a good day but Kayley wasn't hurrying home. Miss Cook's words still rattled loosely in her head and it was giving her a migraine. That, or she was still feeling the after effects of fainting.

Kayley decided not to tell any of her friends about her conversation with Miss Cook until the next day. She needed some time to think first.

"Afternoon Jim," she cheerily greeted to the lobby attendant as she made her way to the elevator. "How's the Missus?"

"Right fine ma'am," Jim smiled and replied, "How's little Jakey doing?"

Kayley pressed the button to open the door and with a wicked grin replied, "Still a rascal."

"Mom, I'm home," Kayley announced, dropping her bag by the door.

"Hi Hun," Amanda Fisher greeted back, sorting through various tasks in the kitchen. "How was school?"

"…Interesting," Kayley deemed this a suitable answer.

Taking off her sweatshirt and shoes, Kayley huffed down onto the cosy couch and tried to get the kinks out of her neck.

"Kayley! Kayley! Kayley! Kayley! Kayley!" A voice came bounding into the room before launching itself on Kayley's stomach.

Kayley groaned. "Aren't you getting a little too old to be doing that now?"

Jake considered this for a moment. "Aren't you a little too young to tell me not to do it?"

"Touché, brother…" Kayley nodded, acceptingly. "Now scarper. I'm too tired to play knights and castles today."

Amanda walked in and sat a plate of cookies on the coffee table. Kayley examined her mother, then the plate of cookies, and finally back to her mother. "It's not my birthday," Kayley hesitated, suspiciously.

"Sugar is good after you've had a shock," Amanda informed, batting Jake's hand away as he sneakily reached for a cookie.

"Ah - they called you, huh?"

"Of course they called me Hun," Amanda smiled sympathetically. "How are you feeling now?"

"Completely fine. I'm just tired, is all," Kayley answered, truthfully.

"Well, I want you to take it easy to- Kayley Jane Fisher, what is that on your arm?"

Kayley examined both her wrists for any excess doodles not yet washed off. There was only the faint remains of a blue biro; nothing to cause any alarm. Stumped, she gave in and inquired, "What is it?"

Amanda rolled the rest of Kayley's right sleeve up and gasped. "Kayley, what have a told you about tattoos?! I am not raising a delinquent!"

"Mom, I don't have a tattoo!" Kayley protested. "What are you talking about?" she craned her neck to where her Mother was glaring and mumbled, "What the Hell?"

The thing is, Kayley noted it didn't look like a proper tattoo at all. It seemed to look more like a birth mark. Or maybe a burn mark.

Her Mother must have picked up on that too and asked, "How in Hell do you burn yourself up there?" she laughed softly and continued, "I mean, I've had the pleasure of talking with your principal many times because of your lab incidents, but this is a new one for the books,"

Kayley saw her Mom seemed mildly impressed, which Kayley wasn't about to dispute. The burn mark was a perfectly curved equals signs planted nicely on her right upper arm.

"I have no idea!" Kayley admitted, chuckling.

Obviously, Amanda's mothering instincts kicked in and with a serious tone, she asked, "Does it hurt?"

"No, not at all,"

"Good," Amanda nodded. Standing up she said, "Now, whatever homework you have tonight can wait until after dinner. I don't want you moving off that couch until then, understand?"

"Can I watch TV?"

Amanda stalled. "Alright… but consider this a treat young lady."

Kayley grinned. "Wow! I need to pass out more often!" she exclaimed, picking up the remote and a cookie at the same time.


	10. The Heart's New Guardians-Chapter Three

"What are you trying to pull, Kay-Kay?" Amethyst teased. "April 1st isn't for another few months!"

"Damnit you guys!" Kayley huffed. "I'm being serious!"

Lunchtime rolled around once more at Lakewood. The girls had naturally escaped the lunchtime rush by eating theirs behind the bike sheds, once again. Kayley had insisted and all were too tired to protest.

After sleeping on it for the night, Kayley's mind had digested all the information Miss Cook gave to her the previous day and through hours of rest, it had managed to all fit nicely into place inside her head.

Therefore, she had relayed her conversation to the others. And once again, they laughed in her face. This time, she wasn't about to give in so easily.

"Just here me out here," Kayley urged. Sensing the silence as her canvas to continue she said, "Look, I don't know what all of this is, but this is no joke. The fainting, the symbols, getting Miss Cook in on the gag; even you Amy couldn't dream of something like that."

Amethyst shrugged, half smiling.

"Think about it. This Oracle said I was the Guardian of… something to do with electricity. I don't know… it begins with a Q. Anyway, that explains why electrical appliances have been talking to me recently, doesn't it?"

Opal tried in vain to stifle her laughter. "Come again?" she requested.

Kayley's shoulders sank. "It's not funny," she grumbled.

"I beg to differ," Ash began, but she noted how serious Kayley's tone was. Clearing her throat, she insisted, "Go on Kayley."

Kayley nodded, gratefully. "Opal, the Oracle said you're the Guardian of fire. Does that mean anything to you?"

Ash shot her head around to Opal at lightning speed. Opal caught her gaze and gulped, shuffling in place. Soon enough, Ash convinced her to spill out what she knew, leaving the girls in a flabbergasted wake.

Kayley smiled triumphantly. "Anyone still want to call me crazy?" she dared, gleefully.

"Question-" Ash interjected, "I was keeping quiet, but…" Ash scratched the back of her head, stalling for time. "Does this sound _familiar_ to anyone else but me? Kandrakar, Guardians, magic… I've been having these reoccurring dreams for weeks now. I just thought it was a freaky coincidence…"

Amethyst and Opal's gaze met and they regarded one another knowingly. Amethyst spoke up, "We have too, come to think of it. For about three, four weeks now?" she checked. Opal nodded and added, "I assumed it was related to that fantasy film you forced me to suffer through last month. I stand corrected."

Amethyst lowered her head, hiding then small grains of confused panic in her eyes. "What else did this Oracle say?" she mumbled.

Kayley divulged all that she was told about the Guardians, only savouring one piece of information to last. After a while, that moment came.

Humour had seemed to have been last in the translation of their conversation with even Amethyst being beyond jokes. Seriously, Opal asked, "Who is the fifth Guardian?"

"I was hoping you'd ask," Kayley groaned, enthusiastically unenthusiastic, _if that makes any sense._

"Lorelai Clove," she declared.

Amethyst sighed. "Of course…"

Matter-of-factly, Ash shrugged and added, "Could have been worse. Could have been Trish."

The pair shuddered at the thought.

"Well I refuse to tell her," Opal announced. Amethyst quickly concurred.

Ash gave Kayley a half smile and said, "I guess it's up to you, champ."

"Wait, I'm not doing it!" Kayley tried, but Ash halted her in her tracks, stating, "You've been told the most about this. You know more than all of us. You _have_ to tell her."

Kayley caved in, saying, "Fine, but you're coming with me."

Kayley picked up her bag and began walking back towards civilization.

"What, right now?" Ash checked.

Opal pulled up her sleeve and examined her wrist watch. "Lorelai will still be in her music detention, but it lets out in four minutes precisely. You must hurry if you wish to 'ambush' her."

* * *

Lorelai strutted down the hall holding yet another can of diet soda. _The girl was obsessed with the stuff._ She was on her way to meet Sandra and Trisha for lunch when two pairs of hands forcefully pulled her into the nearest bathroom and threw her on the floor.

"What'up, _BITCH!_?" Kayley exclaimed, mockingly.

Lorelai looked up at her from the floor coldly. She resisted the urge to scream and shout, as that would only be a win in their books. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction. Instead, she brushed off the dust from her skirt and straightened out her hair before returning her attention to Kayley, sneering, "Take advantage of this moment, shortcake. This might be the only time you can tower over someone."

Kayley's face flushed. She smiled, almost maliciously, and said through gritted teeth, "You take this one Ash. She's no use to us if I kill her now."

Ash agreed, and held out a hand to help Lorelai off the floor.

"Don't touch me," Lorelai hissed, shaking her off and picking herself up.

Ash glared at her, loathing the moment she was told Lorelai would be one of these Guardian's too.

"Listen, I need you to hear me out here because what I'm about to tell you will sound a little far-fetched," Ash stated, calmly.

"I don't have time for your little performance, carny girl," Lorelai interjected, walking towards the door. As she was about to reach for the handle, Kayley blurted, "You and Jacob Taylor, making out behind the bike sheds in Rose Pelt Park."

Lorelai halted. "How do you know about that?" she demanded, trying to remain level-headed.

"It's not a private park, you know? Next time you cheat on your boyfriend, do try to hide it better. But never mind that. We're the only ones who know and it's going to stay that way if you hear me out."

"Isn't blackmail against some sort of law?" Lorelai observed.

"Well I think adultery is more than frowned upon, don't you?" Kayley countered.

Lorelai retraced her steps back in.

"That's what I thought," Kayley smiled, slyly.

"Just make it quick," Lorelai yawned, attempting to act nonchalant. They both saw right through it but didn't comment.

"We know what you can do, Lorelai. These past few weeks have had some strange things happening. Stuff to do with flowers, maybe?" Ash guessed. She took Lorelai's reaction to be a conformation and so continued, "Maybe some reoccurring dreams about magic? Guardians? Does the name _Kandrakar_ mean anything to you?"

"How? How?!" Lorelai thought. She began to panic. No-one, not even Trisha and Sandra knew about that. How did they know? Aloud, she declared, "I have no idea what you're talking about," she hastened for the door, but Kayley blocked her escape. "Move out of the way, dweeb. I have no time for your-"

Kayley's eyes flashed a vibrant blue before she yelled, "OH WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN!"

Her voice boomed thought the bathroom and shook the walls before all the lights in the restroom turned off.

"Oh, my gosh," Lorelai breathed before the lights came back on. Kayley's eyes had turned back to their regular shade but her anger was still there.

Lorelai backed into the wall, eyes fixed on Kayley. "How-how did you do that?" she asked, voice quivering.

Kayley looked to Ash with almost fear of herself in her eyes. Ash tensed up at Kayley's glare and shrugged, helplessly.

Kayley swallowed hard but decided to make the most out of the situation. Kayley turned back to Lorelai with an almost malicious smile and said, "Never you mind, but I'll do it again if you don't shut up."

Lorelai pressed her lips tightly shut and nodded rapidly.

Ash tried to relax her defensive stance and continued, "Do you remember anything out-of-the-ordinary over these past couple of weeks? I'm talking _unusual_ experiences?"

Lorelai looked at her blankly.

Ash looked back to Kayley. "She _is_ earth, right?"

Kayley nodded.

"Okay, then I'm talking vines randomly appearing out of nowhere. Trees… I don't know, talking! Anything like-"

"Wait, wait, wait-" Lorelai raised her hands to halt Amethyst, though hoping this would be an acceptation to the 'shut up and listen' rule. When the lights didn't nearly explode she relaxed and found it fit to say, "Y-You mentioned something about Kandrakar?"

Kayley and Amethyst smiled victoriously to one another, knowing they'd found familiar territory.

* * *

The day was Friday and Lakewood's weekly free period had rolled around again.

"Sorry we're late," Kayley panted, bursting through the door of Miss Cook's classroom. Ash and Amethyst collided into her from behind and launched the pack inside.

Opal watched them pick themselves off the floor and nodded. "A stylish entrance, might I add? I assume you have an excuse for being tardy?"

Amethyst tried to calm her coughing fit. "Mr Wilson- *cough*… Mr Wilson caught- *cough* cough*"

"Mr Wilson caught us sneaking away from class and ordered Mr Kayne to chase us half way around the school," Kayley finished, trying desperately to keep herself from falling back on the floor again. She also made a mental note to start exercising again - no short run like that should leave ANYONE in such a state.

"Who knew that a teacher with a build that big could run that damn fast?!" Ash panted, taking a seat next to Opal. The others clustered around them.

"Where's Lorelai?" Amethyst asked.

"Aw, don't tell me she's going to skip out on us?" Kayley moaned, grabbing her water bottle out of her bag and gulping down the remains.

"I wouldn't put it past her…" Ash agreed. Opal quickly countered by saying, "Hush the lot of you. She will be here, I know it."

"Oh what have you suddenly gone psychic now?" Kayley chuckled, but I few seconds after reading all their expressions she contradicted herself by mumbling, "Good point…"

And sure enough…

"Lorelai can't even be fashionable when she's late…" Amethyst taunted, motioning for Lorelai to take a seat behind her.

"More fashionable than you'll ever be, drama freak," Lorelai grumbled, dumping her bag beside the seat closest to the door.


	11. The Heart's New Guardians - Chapter Four

Miss Cook came out of the prep room carrying an old and crumpled blue shoe box.

Carelessly, she tossed it down on the workbench and ignored the frustrated rattle inside.

She also ignored the five clueless girls watching her leave the room again.

The box rattled more violently; something was shaking and pounding inside of it.

"Umm…" Amethyst quivered, edging backwards in her seat.

Suddenly, a hole burst through the taped down lid of the box and the glowing object inside shot towards them.

"What the-!" Kayley gasped, ducking to miss the near-collision with it.

Kayley had identified the object as the Heart of… "Crap I forgot it again!" she scolded herself silently.

Whatever it was seemed to now be gliding around for another attempt and only missed the screeching Lorelai by a hair's length.

As Miss Cook re-entered the room the jewel settled back down upon the table.

Studying the pained expression of the panic girls she casually asked, "What's got you guys in a fuss?"

Kayley looked at her like she had just stepped off of Jupiter. "That… THING of yours tried to kill us!"

Miss Cook hid her chuckle. "Sorry… I guess it's just excited. Like a puppy dog, you know?"

_"Puppy dog?"_ Lorelai scoffed. "Try vicious Rottweiler!"

"Sorry," Miss Cook apologized. "I guess you guys really must be the ones then, huh?"

Nobody answered her. Nobody knew what to answer.

Instead, Miss Cook strolled up to the workbench and leaned against it, exhaling deeply. Her expression pained with that of one about to discuss an 'awkward' topic. The five could easily see she didn't want to be there.

"So…" she stalled, tapping her fingers on the bench.

Ash began, "Miss Cook, I-"

"Please, call me Taranee," Taranee interjected, thinking that saying something pointless was better than nothing at all.

"O~kay…" Ash accepted this before continuing, "_Taranee_, could you please tell why we're here?"

Taranee hesitated, biting her bottom lip.

"Oh this is pathetic," Lorelai moaned, storming up and moving to leave. "I've wasted less than ten minutes here with you losers and nothing's happened, save for being attacked by some malevolent jewel!"

"Sit down, Miss Clove," Taranee ordered through gritted teeth.

Taken back by her tone, Lorelai complied quietly.

Taranee sighed and readjusted her glasses. "You are here because you guys are the next Guardians of Kandrakar," she started, tone dry.

The five glanced blankly around one another.

"I know. Whoopdie _friggen_ doo," she continued, humourlessly. "Basically, there's a lot of universes, dimensions and it's all a load of blah-blah-blah. Somewhere in one of those universes some evil as 'risen' and it's your job to stop it. If I could be more specific I would, but I can't. Now, are there any questions?"

"Where to start…" Kayley thought, bitterly. Aloud she said, "Yes, there is. What the heck are the Guardians of Kandrakar?"

Taranee let her head drop. "How much did Yan-lin tell you?"

"Who's Yan-lin?"

"The _Oracle_," Taranee corrected through gritted teeth. "How much did the _Oracle_ tell you?"

Kayley shrugged, helplessly. "A bit, but she said it all too fast. Something about 'an allegiance to a goal higher than royalty'."

"Look Miss-_Taranee_," Ash took over, "you understand that some freaky things have happened quite recently and apparently you are the only being on this planet that knows one iota about it. Please, could you help us out?"

Taranee smiled, almost sympathetically, at the young five. She remembered her and her friends at that age, all so clueless about how drastically their lives and future would change.

"The Guardians are the protectors of the universe, essentially," Taranee supplied. "They are peacekeepers. If a world has a major issue that could disrupt the balance of things or some evil dictator trying to conquer the universe it's the Guardians job to solve those problems using their powers…"

And so Taranee did as best as she could to explain the role of the Guardians to them without the grumpy undertone. She thought it was unfair to them. _After all, _they'd_ done nothing to her._

About a quarter of an hour later the girls were still clueless, but at least they were the clued-up clueless.

"So… we are supposed to protect the world from some kind of 'evil' using 'powers' which we do not know how to use or even quite understand. Not only that, we have to win or the universe is going to succumb to this evil. Am I on the correct lines here?" Opal checked, slowly.

"Yes. That is quite correct."

"This…" Amethyst began slowly, but quickly changed her puzzled look into a beaming grin as she exclaimed, "Is AWESOME! It's like I've always dreamed it! Except she's here," Amethyst grumbled, sarcastically smiling at Lorelai.

"Well it's not like I dreamed it, so can I leave now?" Lorelai asked, exasperatedly.

"Nope," Taranee cheered. "Once the Heart has chosen there is no going back. I was lucky enough to be Guardians with my five best friends."

"So, you were a Guardian too?" Kayley asked, intrigued.

Apparently only just realizing what she had said, Taranee turned away and pretended to fumble with some papers. "No. Not me. Not a Guardian. Never."

"Huh…" Kayley mused, nodding thoughtfully. Again, she decided not to press and before anyone else could, she said, "I'm taking it that the crystal, the 'Heart of _Kandrakar'_, is the fuel of those powers?"

Taranee slapped her forehead. "Almost forgot…" with no ceremony whatsoever, Taranee slid the Heart into her hands and threw it over to Kayley. "This is yours now. Take good care of it. The universe depends on it."

"On _THAT_?" Lorelai scoffed, sardonically studying the blue and copper coloured jewel. "That looks like a car window decoration."

"That decoration is the source of your powers. Just say the words 'Guardians unite' and you'll be fully powered."

Kayley, along with all the faces looming over her shoulders, studied the jewel. It was dangling on a simple piece of chord which Kayley was surprised could hold its weight. The Heart wasn't all that light, and it definitely was clunky. "So this thing is magic? Cool! Guardians-"

"Not here!" Taranee urgently hushed her. "Dear me…" Taranee shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You listen up closely girls: Do not bandy that crystal around, you hear me? Don't show it to people, don't show them your powers and for the love of everything, do not say Guardians unite in a public area! Are we clear?"

Ash smirked. "Crystal,"

"What type of evil will we be facing?" Amethyst asked.

"The evil kind?" Opal offered, receiving a small nudge from Amethyst who continued, "No, I mean how _bad_ is this evil? As far as I'm aware, I don't think we'll get too far if I soak it with water, Rory sprinkles it with flower petals, Ash reads its mind and Opal lectures it on Biology."

"What about me?" Kayley mumbled, slightly hurt.

"You don't even know how to _say_ your power."

Kayley shrugged, acceptantly.

Taranee glanced at the broken shoebox, then to the girls, each in turn, and then finally to the Heart before saying, "You'll manage."


	12. The Heart's New Guardians - Chapter Five

After school the girls had agreed to meet at the Hilltop - a high up, rural section of Pinewood that overlooks the urbanized city - in order to test out the full potential of the Heart's capabilities. Their confusion had past and had developed into excited glee at the prospect of being 'fricken superheroes!' as Ash had so plainly put it.

However, their happiness soon subsided…

"Forty five minutes," Kayley grumbled quietly. "She's now forty five minutes late. Shall we just go on without her?"

"I thought she wouldn't come," Ash sighed. "I mean, she said she knew where it was. This is just a matter of choice. I'll have words with her on Monday…"

"I'm surprised," Amethyst announced, causing puzzled looks to return to her. "Well, she didn't seem reluctant yesterday. Why would she change her mind?"

"Fair point," Opal conceded. "But I must disagree. I am all for continuing without her. How much longer can we wait?"

Kayley nodded and after receiving similar agreements from her friends, she removed the Heart from her bag and gazed longingly into hit.

Placing it around her neck, it began to shimmer various shades of brilliant pink, spinning on its own accord.

The air filled with amazed gasps and everyone's eyes grew to the size of saucepans as Kayley was lifted up into the air.

Kayley tried her best to hold her screaming as a strong gust of wind along with four flashes of beaming colourful light radiated from the Heart.

"Guardians, UNITE!" Kayley exclaimed. The other three lifted up into the air and were enveloped into balls of energy in the sky. Kayley was too. Sadly, the overwhelming sense of peace that came with it lasted mere seconds and, with another flash of white light, the four floated back down to the ground.

* * *

When they reopened their eyes, everyone noticed their miraculous - though not quite stylish or indeed welcomed - change in attire.

Kayley was now wearing a bright pink shirt hemmed above her belly button with a round collar. The sleeves were long and drooping down, fluttering in the breeze; bold blue and green leggings wrapped her all the way up to her waist. The only thing covering the eyesore-like tights seemed to be a short tight green skirt with a heart at the hips and some knee-high purple boots. Her brunette hair was clipped back on one side at the top but remained long.

Opal wore a pink shirt also, this time collared at her neck like a choker with a slightly lower hem and short round sleeves. The same leggings remained, this time covered by long green flared trousers up to her shins, and trainers. As for her features, her piercing green eyes now had a flicker of flame in them that mirrored through her glasses, but her short brown hair remained unchanged.

Amethyst had a green shirt also that came up to her neck and a hem curving into a shape resembling a spade in a pack of playing cards. The sleeves were short, ending in a wave-like pattern and wrist guards to match. Of course the leggings were standard and a knee-length pink skirt hung from her waist. Hanging from it was a thin piece of purple rope. She had small sandals on her feet and, instead of her sepia hair flowing down like normal, it was tied back in a ponytail.

Ash had an arrow-shaped collar of her green shirt with a slightly pointed hem. Her sleeves were half way down her arms and loose so they could flutter in the breeze. She had a pink skirt similar to Amethyst's only cut off just above her knees. The leggings were there, naturally, and Ash also sported ankle high trainers.

There was another thing they noticed - they all had wings.

"What the…?" Amethyst muttered under her breath.

Ash looked over herself disgust. "_What_ am I _wearing_?" she exclaimed, her face contorted with horror.

Kayley looked at herself over and said what they all were thinking, "We… look ridiculous."

"Now I see why Taranee told us not to go Guardian in public," Amethyst noted.

Opal found some relief in the fact she wasn't subjected to wearing a skirt like the others. Still, she asked, "Why has the Heart given us these… dare I say _uniforms_?"

"Beats me," Kayley answered, wondering the same thing. "Although now I envy Lorelai not being here,"

After a few more moments of loathing their outfits, it was Kayley who finally noticed the wings on their backs.

"We can fly?!" Ash beamed with childish excitement. "Cool!"

Unable to contain the urge for even a second, Ash soared off into the sky, loop da looping at incredible heights and at incredible speeds. She dived downwards and swooped past the other four, laughing like an infant with a pop-up book.

"Show off," Kayley remarked, pushing the hair out of her face.

Shrugging, Opal attempted to gain flight. After a few second though she crashed back down into the ground, moaning, "I see flying is out of the question then…"

Instead, she summoned up a small ball of fire. It wasn't scorching in her palms, more pleasantly warm. Memorized by her own flame she lost concentration on what she was doing. The ball started waving around uncontrollably before it targeted itself at Amethyst. She jumped out of the way just in time and Opal managed to extinguish any small fires left.

Amethyst toyed with the idea of trying to fly; it did look like a fun thing to do, but it was just so high up. No, heights weren't the problem - it's the falling that kills you. Well, heights _were_ the problem actually. They were the catalyst to the falling.

* * *

For the next hour, each tried in vain to master small aspects of their elements. Within that time, only Ash had got flying down to a tee. Kayley had managed to remember the name of her power and practice for a while, but after accidently shocking Opal she went on an impromptu flying lesson in order to escape vengeance.

Opal had done pretty well at controlling fire and Amethyst the same with water. However, neither had done so well at the flying part. The latter had refused to fly full stop.

After this time Ash recollected the group and asked, "So… now what do we do?"

"Go play Ninja-Zombie-Vampire Death Squad?" Amethyst suggested.

"I vote we actually try to fold to Meridian," Kayley stated, standing up straight enough to almost be the same eye level as the others. "Miss- ahem, _Taranee_ said that something bad is going down there and it's up to us to help. We have a duty, remember guys? It's our responsibility to do… whatever needs doing there."

Ash cleared her throat. "And the Oscar for best inspirational leader speech goes to…"

"Alright, alright," Kayley smiled sarcastically. "I know it's lame but I meant every word: We need to actually do something useful with these powers. Remember, with gre-"

"If you say 'With great power comes great responsibility' I will personally use my powers to drown you," Amethyst warned, serious enough for Kayley to back down.

* * *

Raven clocked the guards surrounding the Meridian prisons. There weren't too many. Not enough to consider them any significant threat. Ever since he had taken Elyon out of the picture weeks ago he was on a home free. Every little kink, every little risk ironed out to make his plan fool proof. Arming himself with his Serpent, he carefully leaned out from behind his hiding spot and began to play one of the most beautiful melodies ever heard. It drifted through the air like a hypnotic whisper - that being exactly what it was. Within in moments the guards fell swiftly to the ground in a state of serene slumber.

"Four down…" he noted to himself, "Four to go…"

Casually, Raven strolled out to the unconscious guards and gave one of them a firm kick to the stomach. He didn't flinch.

Raven knew he would be in the clear as long as his rehearsed performance isn't cut short by a wise guard or even worse, a sharp blade.

Bracing himself, he knelt down beside one of them and strained his face enough to make himself look panicked. "HELP!" he cried, directing his voice around the corner and inside the open prison.

"I NEED HELP OUT HERE! HELP!"

Soon enough, two guards - the two Raven noted were on primary door duty - came rushing around the corner to him.

"What happened?" one of them demanded, kneeling beside one of the guards to check his pulse.

"I don't know," Raven lied. "I was coming by and I saw a group of men dash off into the forests. When I looked these four were unconscious,"

"Get Vathek," the older, presumably higher command, ordered his comrade.

The younger guard dashed off and before long a group of three guards came dashing to them, two darting off into the forests with their swords drawn high.

Vathek rushed to Raven's side. "Sir Raven, my friend, are you hurt? Corporal Lance told me what you saw."

"I'm uninjured, but I fear for the sake of these poor souls. They are barely breathing."

As Vathek and the other soldiers exchanged orders and tended to the wounded, Raven stepped back and removed his concealed Serpent from behind the tree. As he did before, Raven tuned out another beautiful melody, reproducing the same effects he placed upon the other guards.

After the bodies collapsed to the floor, Raven remembered there was still one guard left to tend to. However, not wanting to exceed the power on his Serpent, he picked up a mace dropped by one of the guards.

As Raven briskly walked up to the prison entrance he made sure to give himself a time check. The only guards he needed to worry about were the two heading into the forest, but even if they did return it was unlikely they would pose a major issue. The others were expected to be out for the next hour.

* * *

…With one swift blow, the guard crumbled to the floor.

Raven had gathered quite an audience of prisoners with this act but he couldn't see the man he was after.

"Prince Phobos!" he called, silky voice echoing like a drum throughout the prison walls. "Show yourself!"

Hesitantly, a weak, frail old man crept to the front of the prison. "I-I am he," he answered, nervously. He gazed down at the black caped man with a mace in his hand and tried his best to turn his voice powerful again, demanding, "What do you want?"

Raven bowed down onto one knee. "I am… a _friend_ of your parents."

The words stuck into Phobos like a dagger. This stranger was armed and had almost killed a guard as it was.

"Look, whatever you want from me, it's already been taken," Phobos didn't want to reduce himself to pleading, but he valued his own life more than anyone else's. "I know what I've done, but that's history now. Killing me won't bring them back."

Raven chuckled softly. "Oh master, I'm not here to hurt you…"

Phobos stepped back. "You're… you're _not_?"

"Not at all. I'm here to _help_ you."

Suddenly, a blue mass of energy sprung out of thin air. It started out as bright flash of white light but ebbed away into a large, electric blue coloured fold in the air.

The entire prison stood in awe as four figures emerged from it.

"Guardians…" Raven spat.

"Ah, the Champions of Kandrakar grace us with their presence once again," Phobos grimaced. However, upon closer inspection he added, "My my… a _new_ generation of Guardians! A pleasant change, really. The old ones were growing so tiresome."

Amethyst leaned in closer to Kayley. "W-Who are they?"

"Guardians," Raven addressed, indignantly. "The mighty warriors of Kandrakar. How a title so prestigious can fall to mere children, mere _women_ I'll never know."

"A sexist," Ash declared, bluntly. "Our enemy is a sexist. Can't we just file some discrimination lawsuit and have done with it?"

Raven swept his attention back to Phobos and upon bowing his head, asked, "Shall I dispose of them, master?"

"By all means,"

Amethyst gulped. "D-Dispose of us…?"

Opal stepped forward. "Remain calm," she urged. "There is four of us and only two of them. Only one if you discard the senior in the jail cell. Besides, we have powers. I am confident we can hold our own with ease."

Raven's hands then began to glow in golden-white light that grew to a large energy orb basking in his palms.

Opal stepped back to re-join her friends. "Then again…"

The orb grew large and was seconds from being released at them.

Kayley cried, "Everyone, get up!"

Opal and Ash immediately shot off into the skies, but before Kayley followed them she noticed Amethyst didn't look like she was going anywhere any time soon.

"Amy! Follow me!" she demanded. Amethyst's lip quivered but she remained frozen in place.

The second the orb was fired at them, Kayley tackled Amethyst to the ground, narrowly avoiding the impact of the blast. This seemed to snap Amethyst back into the real world and both girls immediately made themselves airborne. Flying seemed to go fine… until Amethyst looked down.

She seemed transfixed on the bottomless bit below her.

Kayley was the first to notice this and flew over to her. "Amy, Amy look at me. Deep breaths…"

As Kayley tried to stop Amethyst from hyperventilating, Opal stepped up to the attack, launching three fireballs at Raven. Two veered off into the energy bars of the jail cells while one surprisingly aimed straight for its mark. Unfortunately, Raven reacted fast enough to easily block it and return the attack with a powerful energy blast that narrowly missed a heavy collision.

Ash swooped down and tried to lift Raven into the air with a gust of wind, but Raven telekinetically picked up a piece of rubble from behind Ash and slammed it into her back.

Once Amethyst had calmed down and returned to ground level, both her and Kayley made a strong simultaneous attack, but Raven managed to deflect the exact same blast back at them like a mirror, sending them crashing to the ground.

The two groaning girls tried to pick themselves up.

"Seriously, is that the best Kandrakar has to offer?" Raven jeered, strolling up and grabbing Kayley by the arm. He yelped and stumbled back when she sent a high voltage electric shock through him.

The petty fighting continued for minutes, but it was only Opal who had managed to even _hit_ Raven, let alone do any serious damage to him.

Once another aggravating fireball hit his right shoulder, causing him to grumble un-Earthly curse words, he rose his Serpent aloft.

"Enough! No more childish games!" he yelled, reaching down into the inner core of his power and with the velocity of a nuclear-type explosion, thrust a wave of great energy out from him in all directions. Each girl was thrown downwards and backwards into the low walls circling the floor platform. Above them, the ceiling slowly began to cave.

Kayley tried in vain to get back onto her feet. Her back was hindering movement, each breath being a dagger of sharp agony. She honestly hadn't seen an attack like that coming, although she scolded herself for not being wiser.

Once she had forced herself onto her knees, she looked around her. Ash was slowly recuperating, as was Opal. But it was Amethyst who lay next to her, unmoving.

The ceiling started to rain heavy bricks down upon them as Kayley rapidly checked for a pulse. Amethyst was alive, fortunately, but unconscious.

Raven powered himself up for another attack, this time a finisher, and as Ash saw the malicious smile on Raven's face grow and the power building in his palms she cried, "Kayley! The crystal! Get us out of here now!"

Kayley nodded and summoned the crystal to her hands. With a sweep through the air the world tore a small hole in its canvas. Ash and Kayley went first carrying Amethyst while Opal covered them. Once they were through Opal stumbled after them and the fold closed behind her.


	13. The Heart's New Guardians - Chapter Six

The three crumbled to the ground, desperately panting for breath as the electric blue tear in the air sewed itself up.

Once it had, they crawled to Amethyst's side. The girl was starting to come too, slowly moving the odd limb until she mustered enough to groan, "Ugh… did we win?"

Kayley winced. "Not exactly…"

"What happened then?"

Opal stretched out her aching back. "Big explosion + brick wall = Amethyst go night-night."

Amethyst cocked her head in Opal's direction, who just shrugged.

Summoning Heart to her hands, Kayley transformed them back to normal. Looking up and around her she inquired, "Uh, guys? Where are we?"

Around them was a dark room stacked high with boxes and dusty sheets of paper. The only light that ebbed into the room was that of a small street level window that shone the moons beam.

"This isn't Hilltop," Opal stated the obvious.

"Umm…" Amethyst stalled, sitting up and resting against a cracked brick wall. "Someone look out the window?"

Ash propped herself up on the boxes and, on her tip-toes, managed to peer out. "It looks like… yeah. This is the side alley beside the school. We're in Lakewood's basement!"

"Great," Kayley groaned. "Now how do we get _out_?"

Ash pulled out a paperclip from her pocket. "Leave that to me…"

* * *

Phobos strolled through the now barren streets of the Meridian villages, army in tow and Raven flanking him. Once the horn of warning had sounded, every civilian had boarded themselves up in the safety of their own homes or shops.

Now Phobos was free from his cage he managed to use enough of his power to return himself to his former youthful self, with the help of Raven. Phobos had gained enough power in his years to rival that of a Heart's and twice as much experience. It was only Elyon who challenged him the most. Challenge was not the correct word. More like, near-pulverize. Her power was strong enough to send him back to jail with a casual thought. Phobos' curiosity begged the question as to where she was…

"We were never properly introduced at the prison," Phobos noted. "You seem to know who I am, but not I you."

"My name is Raven," he introduced. "In a past life I was a court composer for your family."

"Then why do you wish to help me?"

Raven chuckled softly and stared up at the brilliant blue sky. Not quite the dismal day perfect for a bloodthirsty battle. "Let's just say I never did agree with the royal line of succession in Meridian. You would make a far better ruler than the Queen."

"And what has become of my dear baby sister?" he inquired.

"She's taken care of," Raven assured. Seeing Phobos certain look, he felt the need to add, "Not dead as of yet," he smiled thinly. "I've been on this world long enough to learn that it's useful to gain the respect and trust of the right people. With that, you can twist it into tremendous things… like dethroning Elyon."

"She's dethroned?" Phobos jaw dropped and a gleaming smile grew on his face. "Perfect…"

* * *

"HALT!" Raven cried, holding up a hand to stop and silence the army. Birds fluttered from trees in a knowing panic.

In front of them the magnificent castle towered. They were almost at the edge of the battleground now.

"Loyal followers of Prince Phobos, hear me now. Today we fight to claim what is rightfully ours. The enemy has never weaker than it is now. Fight for your Prince! Fight for rightful heir to the throne! Fight for Meridian!"

The sky echoed with the croaky cheers of the lurden army as they began to encroach on the castle.

* * *

Aldarn stood atop the guard tower and, through his beloved binoculars, watched as the army marched forward. He didn't need to focus in to see Phobos was at the head of it, but there was a familiar face he recognized. "No…" he muttered. "No it can't be…"

Battle orders had already been given, and the crashes and clatters of soldiers hastily gearing up for war could be heard below him.

Rushing past the running soldiers, he quickly found his way to the war-conference room. Already seated around the circular table were Vathek, Tynar, Drake and Raythor.

"Have a seat, Aldarn," Vathek welcomed, dismally. He stood up and began to slowly pace laps around the room. "It's obvious why I called you all here," he began. "It's a day that has come around too soon and the odds have never been stacked against us so much. The Queen and her power are inaccessible. The Guardians are weak and inexperienced. Our armies are outnumbered."

"The palaces defence system is routed around Elyon power," Tynar supplied. "Without it, it will surely fall. If we found Sir Raven, I'm sure we could free just enough of the Queen's power to protect us all and send Phobos back to his cell. Where is he?"

"I think I know," Aldarn informed, hanging his head. Once he'd finished telling them what he saw upon the guard tower, Raythor was the first to speak.

"That slimy, backstabbing traitor!" he exclaimed, crashing his fist down on the table. "How could we be so blind?"

"It happened with Nerissa before," Tynar grumbled. "What is the old Earth saying? Fool me once…?"

Aldarn looked around him thoughtfully. "Come to think about it, do any of you remember actually _meeting_ Sir Raven?"

Reading their looks as his reply, he continued, "Sir… erm… _Raven_ just appeared out of nowhere it seems. We all trusted him, but I can't even think back to the day we first met him."

"Strange," Raythor agreed, adding, "And who's idea was it to imprison Elyon anyway? We fought for many years to put her on the throne, risking everything we had - why would we imprison her without a justifiable cause?"

"Hypnotic powers?" Aldarn suggested, starting to accept the guilt now piling on. "It's not unlikely, and if Raven ordered us to give the people of Meridian a fair and understandable reason they would accept without rebellion. I can't remember what that reason was though…"

Each took a moment to wallow in his own thoughts. It was all piecing together so easily to paint the picture of the hideous puzzle they have created. Phobos free, Meridian and its armies powerless… all their fault…

"I know what you all are thinking," Vathek conceded. "We have been deceived and will now pay the ultimate price. Even under hypnotism I can't bear the thought that any of us would betray the Queen, but what's done is done. But at least we have snapped back into true realization. Now we are conscious under our own thoughts. For now, Elyon and her power are safe. No-one can get in or out of that cell unless all five of us and Raven are in an agreement. But when the palace falls, Phobos will come for us first. I am staying to command the armies, but I want the rest of you to flee. Go into hiding in some place Phobos and his followers can't find you. No weapons. Nothing that will stand you out in a crowd. But you must leave now."

"No!" Raythor objected. "I will not desert my Queen and country. The mere thought is sickening. Such and act would be-"

"That was an order, Lieutenant," Vathek maintained, powerfully. "If we all make this out alive I will meet you at the south-east crossroads outside of Torus Filney in three days to this minute. Now go."

* * *

"Ahhh, Sir Raven!" Vathek cheered as Raven walked through the door to the war-conference room. "I've been searching for you. We need your help to-"

"Cut the act, General," Raven jeered. "You've always been a terrible liar. Not just that, your dagger is showing from behind your back."

Vathek pulled out the small blade and examined it in the light. "Oh, uh, I wonder how that got there…"

Raven sighed. "You know why I'm here,"

"To kill me?"

"I was hoping to enlist you back into Phobos' ranks. If I persuade my master you've changed, I'm sure he'll forgo life imprisonment."

Vathek smiled. "You know I will not even consider such a thing, don't you traitor?"

Raven returned the smile. "I know. It was just a small hope. I always liked you, general. Strong, feet on the ground… you know your role. You're a good man but on the wrong side of justice. _You're_ the traitor."

"I am, am I? On the wrong side of justice?"

"Clearly," Raven nodded. "For example, you have a dagger in your hand and will no doubt try to kill me with it. You're a murderer."

"I'm a soldier," Vathek corrected.

Raven reached behind his back and pulled out the concealed Serpent. Vathek looked it over, confused, and made no attempt at an attack as he raised it to his lips. "And I'm a musician."

With that, he started playing…


	14. For Heart's Long Lost - Chapter One

Amethyst walked briskly up to Lorelai and, without even stopping for a moment, grabbed her hair and led her over to the large oak tree in the centre of the courtyard. Kayley and Opal followed closely behind.

Just as Trish and Sandra moved to go help her, Ash stepped in their path. "Don't worry," she assured. "We just need a quiet word with your friend over there."

Trish was exceedingly tall and towered over Ash by at the very least half a foot. "Come to think about it," she hissed, crossing her arms simultaneously with Sandra. "We need to have a quiet word with you and your little friends too,"

"That can wait," Ash stated.

Sandra let out a short sharp laugh. "Oh yeah? Whatcha gunna do? In case you haven't noticed, there's two of us and, *_ahem_*, one of you."

Ash smiled sardonically. "I'm glad you can count that high, but I'm not alone. Yo Tee!" she called, giving the queue for the curly-haired blonde to strut out from behind the wall and join Ash in a bouncer-like pose.

Tee was the same height as Ash but had the stance of somebody that could tower over basketball players just with her stare. Somehow, she managed to even beat the uniform code to a certain extent. Her trainers were black, therefore barely noticeable. Her pink studded belt was not called upon in the uniform book, therefore allowable. Under her left sleeve she wore an array of electric pink, green, yellow and blue bracelets and under her right sleeve on the underside of her wrist was a small star tattoo that Ash wasn't sure was fake.

"Yo what'up Ash?" she grinned, indicating for a fist bump. A fist bump was something that would be mocked if anyone else did it, but somehow Tee could pull it off. Ash accepted and then said, "Thanks for backing me up here."

"No problem. Anything to help a fellow orange jumpsuit."

Trish and Sandra had already retreated slightly, un-tensing their shoulders and edging backwards.

Meanwhile…

"Hey Lorelai, great to see you," Amethyst began angrily, "Just wanted to tell you that we tried out the pendant at hilltop on Monday. Yeah, Miss Cook wasn't messing around with us. It works. You wanna know what else works? Your watch. You said you knew where it was. You said you'd be there, but no. So, we went on ahead. All that stuff Miss Cook told us is true. We tried using our powers, then we tried opening a fold like Miss Cook told us about. A fold to Meridian. Remember that? No? Okay…"

Lorelai opened her mouth to protest something, but quickly shut it again.

Kayley took over, "We stepped through and there was this really evil guy in a black cloak that tried to kill us. He hurt Amethyst bad. Real bad. We had to carry her unconscious body back to Earth. She could have died, you know, because you weren't there to back us up. You let us down, Lorelai. How would you feel if she'd died that day, all because you weren't there to help? Actually, you probably wouldn't care. You'd already tried to kill Amethyst once this term."

"That wasn't my idea," Lorelai blurted, almost scared. "I felt really bad about it. It was Trish's idea, not mine. We wanted to scare her, not hurt her."

Amethyst sighed. "Well, you did both, you-"

However, she was cut mid-sentence from someone calling her name from across the courtyard. Looking around to find the source, she located the boy waving and rushing up to her in the distance with a box in his hands. Amethyst rubbed her forehead. "I'll be right back," she mumbled, jogging off to meet him.

"Hey cupcake!" the boy cheered, massive yet nervous grin plastered on his face. "I bought you these…"

He handed Amethyst the box of chocolates which she studied, sweetly. "You didn't have to, Joey," she said, smiling sympathetically at him. Raising her eyebrows with a look like she'd rehearsed her next line, she continued, "What else are you desperate to say, Joey?"

Joey gulped. "Is it too late for you to love me?"

* * *

Taranee toyed with the phone in her hand before placing it back down on the holder. Then picking it up again. Then down. Then Up. Then down.

"Come on Taranee, this is ridiculous," without letting herself hesitate for a second longer, Taranee snatched the phone up and began dialling.

"You've reached Cassidy," the voice on the other end cheered. "State your name and business caller!"

"Hey Cassidy, it's Taranee," she said, sheepishly.

"Taranee!" Cassidy exclaimed, gleefully. "How's my favourite sister-in-law?"

Taranee fiddled with the phone cord in her hand. "Listen Cassidy, we need to talk…"

* * *

Tee looked over her shoulder to where Amethyst and Joey were conversing. "Hey Kayley," she called. "Tag in for me, will ya?"

"You got it,"

As Kayley took the place of Tee, Lorelai saw her opportunity to move. As she started to walk forward, Opal forcefully pushed her back against the tree. Reading Lorelai's shocked stare, Opal said, "We are not finished with you yet."

Tee jogged up to Amethyst and Joey, dodging past the clusters of people blocking her way. There was only four hundred students at Lakewood. How could they _always_ be in someone's way?

"Hey Amethyst, hey nub," she greeted, cheerily.

Joey groaned. "Hey Tia,"

"It's Tee," Tee corrected, moving between him and Amethyst. "Now, is there a problem here?"

Amethyst tutted. "Be nice you two," she chuckled, knowing her words wouldn't be able to ring true to them. She jogged back to the battleground, sneaking one of the praline chocolates out of the box. "When will he learn?" Amethyst chuckled to herself, indulging in all its chocolaty glory.

After a few moments, Tee looked Joey directly in the eye and simply declared, "Amethyst will never love you,"

With that, she walked away. More like strutted away, leaving Joey in her wake.

Tee was renowned to be a violent student, even more so than Kayley and Amethyst combined. Joey was her favourite punching bag. Her, Amethyst, Lia and Joey all spent quite a lot of time together outside of school at amateur dramatics (even though every week Lia refused to act and Joey spent most of his time on the tech table) and the two had sort of formed a hatred for one another. No-one really knows why.

"So why weren't you there, Rory?" Kayley interrogated after swapping back with Tee.

Lorelai shrugged.

"My thoughts exactly," Opal said, sternly.

Lorelai sighed. "Look, here's how it's going to work," she began, shrugging off Amethyst trying to interrupt her. "I don't quite know what all this magic nonsense is. I don't frankly understand or much care, though I believe you are all buying into this far too easily. Nonetheless, I will play along with your little game. I will turn up to practices and I won't breathe a word to Sandra or Trish so long as at school you don't pester me. I don't want anyone to know I even talk to you, let alone meet up with you. Got it?"

Begrudgingly, they all knew they couldn't go any fairer than that and so accepted.

"Good," Lorelai nodded, triumphantly. We'll meet at Hilltop after school on Thursday. I can't spare you dweebs any time until then."

With that, she walked back to her pack of rats.


	15. For Heart's Long Lost - Chapter Two

"Guardians unite!" Kayley exclaimed, letting the Heart float above her and envelope the girls in its glow. Once the light faded and returned Hilltop to its regular dullness, Lorelai examined herself carefully, along with the others.

Her dark coffee-coloured hair waved with even more curls and velocity than usual, flowing half way down her back and when she turned sharply you could almost see leaves rustling from it. The sleeves and collar of her green shirt cut in a straight line across her upper arms, tightly clad and stretching down to her wrists. The hem was slightly arrow shaped and her long skirt cupped around her, luckily only showing a sliver of the leggings. Around her neck was a thin green material necklace and she also had knee-length high heel boots in deep purple.

Lorelai examined herself and smiled precociously. "Well, _I_ look fabulous. _You_ fashion rejects on the other hand…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… we know," Amethyst hurried along. "Can we just get the practice done so we can get out of here?"

Soon after that, each began practicing their elements. Sadly, Amethyst couldn't bring herself to mock Lorelai's abilities as, well, Lorelai wasn't too bad at wielding her powers. She learnt a cool feature she dubbed 'earthquake' - that being what it was - and used it to knock Amethyst down the odd time. The two would have had an all-out magic dual there and then if the others hadn't worked to cool the tension. Well, all except Opal. She preferred to entice it, 'heat things up', making her power all the more appropriate.

Within the hour they spent practicing and chatting, each had progressed greatly from the previous session. Well, greatly may be an overstatement.

Everyone was now fairly confident in flying, including Amethyst who took some flying lessons from Ash. Lorelai could now sprout very strong vines at will, along with a few plants. However, at the sight of summoning a rally of slugs she freaked out and fled twenty feet into the skies, refusing to come down until someone got rid of them. Opal learned to control her fire and Amethyst her water, while Ash spent most of the time high in the clouds, only occasionally coming down to see if she could summon a mini tornado, which proved difficult but possible.

And then things settled back down again, only for Kayley to announce:

"I think we should head back to Meridian."

Amethyst burst into laughter. When Kayley didn't do the same, she cleared her throat and said, "Oh, you weren't joking…"

"What really happened last time you went to this 'Meridian' place?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing good," Ash responded. "But… I'm going with Kayley on this one. We need to go back, and not going tonight is just delaying the inevitable."

Opal laughed once, humourlessly, whilst staring emptily at the ground.

"What?"

"I think this is amusing," Opal said, still not smiling. "Last week I was in a familiar routine of studying, homework and school. Tonight… my friends are trying to coax me into running off to another planet in order to fight as magical pixies. And everyone is sober. Even Kayley. Am I the only one who thinks this is slightly odd?"

Looking down upon Pinewood, rush hour's chaos was still in full swing, it being near enough half five in the evening. Street lamps were already on and the setting sun was about to plunge the city into its routine slumber.

"Well, I'm not complaining," Kayley grinned, swiping the Heart through the air and slicing a fold in the fabric of the magical boundaries.

She stepped through and was immediately greeted with lurid sounds of painful cries, earth-shattering crashes and the potent smell of burning wood that made them feel like they had stepped through into a riot, even though it was the barren landscape of Horses Rest.

They located the source of the commotion just as a new young and vivacious fire climbed up to the bell tower and began feasting.

Instinctively, they all began flying towards the commotion.

When they finally reached the town it became clear that their ears did not deceive them as the crucible of chaos was unleashed on them in its full glory.

What seemed like four dozen heavily armed humanoid creatures were tearing through the town, slashing their swords at anything that moved and either burning or destroying anything that didn't. Women cowered and hid their children as the bodies of the dead or dying littered the streets. The only thing that made them slightly smile in amongst the horrific picture is that women or young children did not seem be included in the dead or dying list, though once they focused back in and remembered exactly what was going on before them, they swiftly forgot that redeeming factor.

The five observed in silence behind a large trash bin in the alleyway before the tension became too unbearable and Kayley broke the silence, commenting, "I'm sure we are supposed to do something here…"

"Like what?" Amethyst asked, wondering if she should feel stupid for asking such an obvious question, but fear soon made her discard the thought.

"W-We fight." Opal stammered, trying her hardest to sound brave.

Blank faces met her as her reply.

"We fight!" she repeated, sounding much more determined this time, almost as if she believed what she was preaching. Seeing they weren't convinced, she persisted, "Look at it this way: the first time we tried fighting we were pathetic - but we got out alive, did we not? In addition to that, that was before we had even practiced, so now we _should_ have improved greatly."

Ash retorted, "That's an excellent though Opal, with only a few minor drawbacks: One, we were forced to run away from the fight, not win it. Two, we did get out alive, but barely. Three, there was one of him and four of us. And you're supposed to be the smart one…"

Opal face flashed the reply without words, although she confessed to herself that Ash was right.

"Opal's right," Kayley concluded, standing up to add conviction to her stance, whilst everyone else sat quietly, unconvinced by her revelation. Kayley continued, "Look, do we really have any other choice? It's our supposed 'duty' to help these people; we can't just walk away. Here's the plan: we'll stay high - that'll probably be our strongest advantage. Just pick them off from the skies, okay?"

The four Guardians nodded uncertainly, but seeing as this was the finished version of their action plan, they went along with it and all soared off into the air.

Up in the skies, the full scale of the anarchy became clear. The small village consisted of a few dusty roads and a couple dozen homes, each housing peaceful townsfolk. Unfortunately, all were caught in the middle of this militia devastation.

Splitting up, the five Guardians began to retaliate. Opal saw a small group of soldiers threatening two young men. Behind them was a family of a cowering woman who cradled a crying infant. Opal deduced the two were brothers - she also deduced they were going to die if she didn't help.

Opal fired balls of fire which caught onto the hilt of the soldiers swords. It ran down to the handle and scorched their palms. Opal shot a few more blasts, intending to injure them further, and although three hit their target and sent the soldiers to the ground, one escaped and took down part of the roof above them. Luckily, everyone managed to dive out of the way in time to avoid burial.

"Hey, anyone thirsty?!" Amethyst quipped, gushing a powerful jet of water from her hands that managed to wash away three guards… and a large food cart that was surprisingly intact until it crumbled into pieces in the current of water. Said pieces of the food cart also knocked out a young man who was desperately trying to put out the fires in his shop. Amethyst winced, ashamed for thinking, "Well, at least he got his wish…" as the fire had been doused.

When Amethyst tried again, concentrating as hard as she could to aim perfectly at a lone soldier, the town's water-well exploded.

Lorelai's efforts were fairing quite a bit better than the others, but not much. She sprung many vines from the ground in order to restrain two soldiers and a general, but they cut through them before she could do any damage. The general looked up at her and smiled, jeering, "You're going to have to do better than that, darling!"

"Darling?!" Lorelai echoed, indignant. She sprung several vines now aimed solely at him. It worked. The vines wrapped tightly around his arms and torso, trapping him.

Ash wondered if she would blow away the entire village if she sent a powerful blast of air at some of the soldiers. Realizing that from where she was floating that would be the case, she dived down to be level with roofs on the houses and sent individual tornados at them. While it did catch a few militias, she soon lost concentration and the tornados spiralled out of control.

Kayley levelled her line of sight at the newly marching reinforcements. She just floated there, biding her time… until they all stepped in a flood puddle that was soaking the ground.

Volts racing through them at a rate of knots, the guards bodies contorted in agony until Kayley mercifully ended the attack. All six of them dropped to the ground, unconscious.

After a while of the 'fighting anything in steel' strategy that they had first lived with, the five Guardians regrouped and decided that they needed a proper plan as the current one wasn't doing _so_ well.

With the undertone of, 'fight anything that threatens you' they soon decided this: Amethyst would help douse the fires in an attempt to keep some of the village left standing; Lorelai would pull all of the injured men from the middle of the streets to avoid being trampled on and send them to Ash. Ash had just finished a junior medical training course and so she willingly volunteered for the job. Meanwhile, Opal and Kayley would try to take out as many as they could from the skies.

The plan seemed somewhat more efficient than last time. Everyone stuck to their roles and the soldiers were taken down faster than they got up.

Kayley swooped across the battlegrounds, looking for targets. Something stuck out at her and held her gaze. On the floor, she saw a little boy crying on the ground in the middle of the street with another boy - presumably his older brother - cradling him. It was a miracle no-one had trampled them yet. The oldest looked only about eleven and the younger near five.

Kayley was never a fan of little children, but she was compelled to help the boy clutching at his injured arm. Maybe it was her older sister instincts taking over.

"Hey there buddy," she soothingly greeted, floating down to the ground. Kneeling beside the both of them, she said, "What happened to you?"

The boy sniffed but ceased his wailing. Looking at her with helpless eyes he said, "M-M-M…" he cut himself off by resuming his wailing.

"It's his arm," the older boy frowned. "He fell on it and won't let me pick him up."

Kayley hugged the younger boy carefully and said, "There, there… it's okay. I've got you. I need to get you away from here though, so I'll-"

_Should have moved him sooner…_

The force of the blunt end of the hilt against the back of Kayley's head was enough to knock her out of consciousness, though fortunately not enough to kill her. The Heart's reappeared and rolled a few feet from her towards the two brothers. The boys looked at the crystal and Kayley, frozen in fear. Once they looked up and saw the guards towering over them, the older boy grabbed the crystal and his brother by the waist and ran as fast as his little legs would allow him.

Naturally, when a Heart is separated from its bearer, the elements are separated from the Guardians; all of a sudden the girls noticed that they had returned to their normal attire… which included losing their wings. Amethyst bounced off of the ground and crashed into what was probably the only wall left standing in the village.

Opal wasn't too high off of the ground when she fell, but she was fortunate that Ash saw her. Summoning up the biggest gust of air she could manage in normal clothes, she charged to where Opal was heading to try and cushion her fall. Well, cushioning her fall is one way of putting it; instead of guiding her back to the ground safely, Opal landed in in an undignified heap on top of Ash.

Luckily, Lorelai fell into an upturned straw cart which was like a thousand pillows compared to the concrete-hard alternative. However, when she rolled off onto the ground a hand forcefully grabbed her by the arm and dragged her upwards.

The five Guardians began to pick themselves up, woozily.

"What happened?" a dazed Amethyst asked, managing to stand again. She was close enough to Opal and Ash and so re-joined them at the centre of the town. It was then they noticed Kayley, lying on the ground and surrounded by several soldiers.

Kayley's head pounded with agonizing rage. To her it was worse than a maths migraine times a thousand. She clutched it, hoping the heat from her hands would sooth her head whilst she recuperated.

After a while, she managed to sort out her thoughts into eligible sentences, but after looking around her and at her clothing, she couldn't figure out where she was _physically_.

Then she remembered.

The general above her drew his sword and levelled it to Kayley's unprotected neck. The Guardians faces turned white and each suddenly began contemplating the idea that they would be executed here and now. Their stomachs churned at the thought but they were determined to keep calm.

"So…" The general began, smiling sardonically at the broken and battered Guardian at his mercy and the remaining Guardians looking on helplessly. "_This_ is all it takes to bring down the champions of Kandrakar?"

He chuckled. Noticing Opal had clenched her fists, tensing up in order to do something she may later regret, he warned, near threatened, "I wouldn't try anything if I were you, Guardian," he pressed the blade closer to Kayley. "Or my hand might _accidently_ slip into your leader's throat. That, or my corporal over there will slit the throat of your precious earth Guardian. I'll leave the choice up to you. Pick one to save and flee, or join them and suffer the same fate together."

"This is it…" Lorelai thought to herself, emptily, gazing through blurry eyes at the distant girls in the smoke ridden landscape. "This is the end…"

Ash studied the surroundings anxiously. Peering over her left shoulder, she saw the trembling Lorelai fighting not to struggle while in front of Ash, Kayley was too bruised to struggle even if she wanted too.

Ash coldly stared the general dead in the eye.

"We're not leaving any of them," she declared, raising her chin defiantly. The height changes during Guardian form would have played a major role in making her look the least bit threatening, but her regular height made the attempt somewhat comical.

"You're… you're not?" Lorelai managed to splutter through her raspy throat.

"We're not?" Amethyst queried.

Ash nodded, assertively.

"So be it," the guard nodded, dragging Kayley to her feet. "Phobos will be pleased…"


	16. For Heart's Long Lost - Chapter Three

Phobos sat atop his throne once again. This time, the conquest seemed all too easy, though he supposed he had Raven to thank above all for that. Phobos didn't know what Raven's game plan was and decided it was best not to trust the man quite yet. A wise move, considering both of his generals betrayed him once before, along with many other loyal soldiers of his. _That's the price of evil, brother._ Ha. Those words of his dear baby sister still rattled in his mind.

But she had been taken care of, for now. She was trapped by a binding agreement between Raven and several other honour guards. A mystical bond conceived by Raven himself only allowing her release under everyone's presence and agreement. Hard to obtain, but not with the 'right' methods.

"It shouldn't be too hard to round up the traitors," Phobos thought. "At the rate things are progressing, I may be able to invade Kandrakar by the weekend..."

A knock came at the door to the throne room.

"Enter," Phobos commanded.

A quivering sentry entered, walked up to the foot of the throne and bowed on one knee.

"My liege, the battle at the Werewood village was a grand success," the sentry, a little more confident now, announced. "We captured the Guardians of Kandrakar."

Phobos leant forward and raised an eyebrow. "You captured the Guardians of Kandrakar?"

"Yes my liege," the sentry answered, immediately.

"The infamous Guardians of Infinity that possess the mighty power of the Heart of Kandrakar?"

"Yes my liege,"

"And they came quietly?"

"Yes my liege. They surrendered willingly,"

Phobos sat back in his throne and examined the poor specimen before him. Glaring at the young man, he growled, "I do not care for people wasting my time, sentry."

Beads of sweat dripped from the sentry's face and formed a small puddle on the floor beneath him.

"I swear sire!" he insisted, "My men and I witnessed the battle first hand!"

Fresh from this realization, Phobos turned his frustrated glare into a beaming, excited smile. "Then the Heart of Kandrakar, you have it, yes?"

The sentry froze, unmoving until he was dragged into the air by a magic force.

"Why do you have the Guardians yet not the Heart of Kandrakar?" Phobos demanded, slightly choking the man. "Are you and your men so incompetent that you didn't even think to look for the crystal?! Where is it?"

"I-I-I don't know, s-sire!" the sentry blurted, struggling for words. "T-They were in h-human form w-when we captured t-them…"

Phobos tossed the man to the floor like litter. "Then take your men back to the battleground and do not return unless you find me that jewel!"

The sentry scurried to his feet and quickly saluted before dashing off to complete his orders.

* * *

The floor of the cage lowering them into the oubliette dropped and the five fell to the floor in a massive heap. After struggling for a while to stand straight without the flaring pain of aching bones digging into them, they took in their surroundings.

It was dark. Light was only a dim glow quite a way up from them. The muddy blood-stained floor beneath thing reeked with a sickly tang and the scratched up walls were a claustrophobe's nightmare.

Amethyst slumped down on the ground, rattling the chains tied to her wrists. "Now what do we do?" she despaired, head in her hands.

"We don't give up," Kayley stated. "Okay, priorities…" she began. "Does anyone have a hairpin?"

"This is not time to debate your looks, Kayley," Lorelai scorned.

Ash sparked up. "No, I know where she's going. Opal, if you please?"

Opal fiddled around, angling her body in such a way that allowed the removal of a hairpin from the top of her head without dislocating an arm.

Handing it to Ash, she said, "All well and good, but what does one do when we're out of these annoyances?"

Kayley looked up, trying to get a feel for the height. Kayley barely stood five feet and managed to calculate they were at least fifty feet down. She placed her hand on the rough wall. It would be almost impossible to climb without some magical assistance, seeing as there was no immediate foot holes. "Well, we have the powers of the elements of our side. We'll think of something."

"But without the Heart we can't go all… _magicy_," Amethyst noted, burying her head deeper into her palms.

"But," Ash added, wincing as she delicately toyed with Opal's cuffs. "We should have enough power to get us out of here."

Clink.

The cuffs fell away and Opal rubbed her wrists, thanking Ash. "Shall I try and burn the rest?" she suggested.

"Save your power," Kayley advised. "Amethyst is right. Without the Heart we don't have much going for us and-"

"And whose fault is that?" Lorelai grumbled in interjection.

Kayley paused before continuing, "…and we'll need all the power we have if we have any chance of getting out here alive. Besides," she looked around at the empty prison; the dank walls mocking them and the blood-stained floor taunting them. "I think we have some time to kill."

A few minutes later and Ash finished with the last of the cuffs, _just_ as the hairpin gave out. Examining the broken end, she carefully placed it in Opal's hand and smiled, "Your '_airpin_, m'lady,"

Kayley shot her a grin. "Well done, Parker," she congratulated in a coded acknowledgement.

Kayley paced around in circles.

"Would you stop that?" Lorelai huffed. "I'm getting dizzy."

Kayley ignored her. "Okay, so… the plan: We have to get out of here, find the rebels, free them, escape from the castle, find the Heart and return home without dying…"

She stopped. "Any suggestions?"

"You're the all-mighty leader?" Lorelai jeered. "You figure something out. You know, this is all your fault. If you hadn't carelessly lost the confounded crystal we wouldn't even be in this mess!"

"Oh, quiet you plastic simpleton,"

Amethyst had opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off before she could manage any words.

Lorelai gasped. In fact, everyone backed away.

Flames flickered in Opal's eyes. "I assume your ego has blocked it out, so might I remind you this is _your_ fault. If it was my decision, I would have chosen ours and Kayley's life over yours any day. Sue me for valuing my friends and my own life over one who has been horrible to me since I have known her. We did not leave you to die out there. Remember that next time you dare to open your mouth."

The flames in Opal's eyes burned out and she turned back to Kayley, seeming so much surer of herself now. More confident, more assertive, like the shy girl in the back of the classroom had never even existed. "I do not care to spend any longer than I have to with _her_. What are we doing, Kayley?"

Kayley shook herself back to reality before forming a slight smile. "Anyone up for rock climbing?"

Lorelai pressed her hand against the old brick wall circling her. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind on nothing but the cold, rough stone slightly grating into her smooth palm.

Ever so delicately, a couple dozen or so of the bricks began to slide their way out and float softly to the ground with the aid of Ash.

"Okay, one more time," Amethyst checked. "We climb up, sneak back to the prisons - which shouldn't be so hard as we passed them coming down here - free the rebels and fight our way out. After that, it's just a matter of finding the Heart."

"_If_ somebody hasn't found it before us," Ash noted.

Slowly, the girls began climbing one by one. Lorelai constantly mumbled to herself about a ruining a manicure as they did. Nonetheless, it didn't take much for their escape. All too easy, really. There were various other holes in the floor surrounding them, chains and cages dangling from the ceiling lit by burning torches, but no guards or soldiers intent on their demise. Actually, it was eerily peaceful.

"Okay…" Kayley mused to herself. "Now for the tricky part…"

Aloud, she commanded, "Follow me, but make as little noise as possible. Let's go."

The girls rushed as quietly as they could up the stairs, easing the door open a fraction to see if the coast was clear.

It was.

"Stay here," Ash ordered creeping ahead to peer around the corner. However, before she could give the all clear she was forced to back away, quickly advancing into a run.

A guard holding a large spear veered around the corner in pursuit. "Hey!" he yelled after her. Then, he stopped abruptly in his tracks. "Guardians," he gasped in horror.

Before he could call for an alarm or swing for an attack, a substantial blow to his forehead knocked him to the ground.

Everyone started, stunned, at the wooden remains of a chair Amethyst was holding.

"What?" Amethyst gazed around at the wide-eyed glares locked onto her. "I panicked!"

Kayley rounded the next corner at such a speed that she didn't notice the patrolling guard until she ran head first into him. He growled and raised his mace, before his furious glare subsided into light-headedness. He panicked at the walls of red and black surrounding him, beginning to cough and choke and splutter until he fell to his knees, unconscious.

Opal walked up with the others flanking her.

"What did you do to him?" Kayley enquired, looking towards her friend with a tinge of fear.

"All living beings require oxygen to breath and function," Opal explained. "By creating a flaming vacuum surrounding him, I engulfed all of that vital oxygen, leaving him in a state of lifelessness."

Amethyst stared at her. "None brainiac definition?"

Opal gave her a precocious sigh and simplified, "He is out cold, understand?"

"Quit this silly bickering," Lorelai hushed. "Someone's coming."

Each girl pressed herself up against the wall so hard that it wouldn't have surprised them if they'd forged into it. As the guard rounded the corner, Ash turned herself invisible and tackled the guard to the ground while Opal repeated her little trick.

"Don't overuse your powers," Amethyst advised. Opal concurred.

After several more corners forcing one of the Guardians to use their powers in an attack, they finally found a path they came across on their way to the oubliette.

It was dark and dingy, but Amethyst was sure she recognized it as the barred up window viewed the bleak and dismal town in all its entirety.

On their way, there were more corridors, not so many guards and surprisingly little signs of a commotion. Kayley suspected it was all too easy, but refused to let herself think the worst was yet to come.

"Guys, down here!" she called, racing down a corridor where dozens of eerie hands stretched out to greet her. They murmured and gasped in shock and confusion, but most were with overwhelming relief.

Sadly, no guard around this corner with a rally of keys.

"Opal, you start at that end burning through the bars. Give Ash the rest of your hair clips and she can start at the other end. Lorelai, work through the middle ones." Kayley ordered, watching as they all agreed and began to work. She made comforting conversation with some of the confused rebels, assuring them that they would be safe in no time which she prayed wasn't a lie.

She glanced down at her Earth-time watch and swore softly as she read the clock display. Her curfew wasn't too far away, but Opal's was long gone. Despite everything, she didn't have the heart to tell the girl. Knowing her parents all too well, she feared if Opal would be ungrounded by summertime.

Professor Theodore and Doctor Teresa Winters were some of the strictest parents Kayley had ever come across. So strict and controlling that Kayley had to hand over a signed criminal record before even being allowed in the house! Opal conformed to the most part, but her older sister on the other hand, Natalie, was completely off the wall. Despite the sisters being ever so close, Opal occasionally wondered if they were of blood relations, being so diverse.

Just as Ash finished the first lock, Opal kicked through the third bar that made a man-sized hole for them to climb through. Lorelai's section was already out and she was set working on the second. A few painstaking minutes later and each rebel in that particular prison area was free. Several dozen men and children piled into the narrow corridor.

"How many more are there?" Kayley asked an old man who looked like he had some sense about it.

"This is barely a quarter as far as I'm aware," the man answered, dismally. "The rest are-"

A loud crash shut off the conversation and plunged the entire rebel/Guardian cluster into silence.

Loud footsteps and clangs of metal, followed by shouts and orders being thrown around encroached on them.

"No wonder it was so serene," Opal concluded, "They knew we escaped. They have been waiting for the right moment this entire time..."

"Everyone, follow us!" Kayley exclaimed, dashing off blindly down another corridor in the opposite direction the ambush was coming from. The rebels and her friends followed after her, seeing no alternative. The guards trailed dangerously close behind.

"Where are we going?" Lorelai cried, cursing herself for wearing non-sensible shoes. Still, she hadn't planned her outfit around this _particular_ scenario.

Kayley didn't answer. She just kept running, not daring to stop, look back or even think about their direction for fear that it may cost them dearly.

She found a doorway leading to a narrow set of stairs. They toppled down them three at a time until they at last came to an opening.

Red and black rocks towered all around them, boxing them in just as much as the pursuing party.

Abruptly, Kayley skidded to a stop as small fractions of rock crumbled away from the ledge they'd all gathered on. She followed their journey down and gulped, not seeing the end in sight.

"The Abyss of Shadows," a voice hissed. The army had caught up to them now, over fifty strong and armed. The voice belonged to a large ogre-like creature wielding a rocky club over his right shoulder. "They say you fall forever, but how are we to know?"

Amethyst gulped. "Any more bright ideas, Einstein?" she jeered between gritted teeth.

"Just let me think," Kayley snapped, clenching her fists. She peered over her shoulder to the drop below her, then to the vast array of armed soldiers, back to the drop, then finally to her friends and the rebels huddle.

"We jump," she decided.

Objections of: "What?" "You're joking, right?" "Incredulous!" fluttered from around the huddle.

In fact it was only Ash who clapped her hands together sharply and grinned, cheering, "I love it! Let's do this!"

"This is ludicrous," Opal maintained. She looked to her Earth-set watch and died a little inside. Shaking it off quickly she said, "My curfew is long since passed. Imagine how much trouble I will be in if I am dead."

"Knowing your Mom? Lots," Amethyst conceded. "I wonder if you can be grounded in the afterlife."

"_If_ there is such a thing," Opal countered.

Seeing the oncoming theological debate approaching, Kayley snapped, "You'll find out in a minute unless we do something, and I don't see another way out of this."

To the entirety of the rebel masses surrounding her, she shouted, "Everyone, you must trust us on this. On the count of three, jump off the edge. One!"

"I hope you know what you're doing Kayley…" Amethyst silently prayed.

"Two!"

"This had better work…" Lorelai winced.

"THREE!"


	17. For Heart's Long Lost - Chapter Four

The Winters' Estate. Teresa Winters stood, impatiently tapping her foot and biting her fingernails. Theodore Winters, along with their black-streak-haired daughter, Natalie, sat with their heads in their hands on each of the two couches, cream white to blend in with the brilliant white paint of the grand living room.

The dial tone connected.

"You're on live with Cassidy - what's up, caller?"

"Evening Cassidy," Teresa greeted, starting to pace. "I was calling, hoping you could verify the whereabouts of our daughters. I've been unable to locate them and wondered if you could aid me in my search."

Cassidy quickly translated that into terms she could work with easily. "You wanna know where Opal is, right?" Cassidy checked, biting on her lip but forcing a smile into her bubbly tone. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen them all afternoon. They're probably at the mall or something."

"Opal did not collect any money and besides, the shopping centre is closed at this hour." Teresa countered, dismally leaning a glance at her husband.

Cassidy hesitated. "I'm not too sure then. It's only half eight - when was Opal supposed to be in?"

"Half seven,"

"Oh," was all Cassidy could respond. "Well, I'll call Amethyst and see if I can find anything out. If I do, I'll call you back within the hour."

"Thank you Cassidy,"

Teresa disconnected the call.

Natalie rubbed her palms together violently before shooting up from the couch. "This is ridiculous!" she huffed. "You have to let me go look for her."

"Sit back down, Natalie." Theodore demanded through gritted teeth.

"Make me," Natalie snapped, making a b-line for the coat rack as she threw on her jacket. She continued unlocking the vast oak door and stormed out into the cold, all the while ignoring her parents infuriating protests. She was focused, and running down the drive she solemnly thought to herself, "Come on Opal, please don't play around like this. I want you to come home…"

* * *

The rocky walls rushed by Kayley at a hundred miles an hour. Despite plummeting to her death, Kayley felt strangely calm. Figuring a fall to infinity meant she had some time to kill, she mentally checked off her to-do list.

"Free rebels,"

Kayley looked around at the petrified, shrieking men falling beside her.

"Check," she confirmed, mentally striking it off. "Now we have to get back to Earth alive…"

Ash laughed childishly as she plummeted to her doom. "This is so much fun!" she cheered, attempting a summersault.

"So…" Amethyst thought into the telepathic link. "We didn't really think this one through, did we?"

"Relax," Opal calmed. "I am sure Kayley has a plan. You do have a plan, yes?"

Kayley gulped, swiping her left arm out the way of a jagged rock. "The plan?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Do I have to do everything around here?" she muttered to herself. Outstretching her arms, she cried, "Earth!" sending dozens of thick green and mossy vines to sprout from the walls a hundred feet below them. Each knotted and weaved themselves together, twisting and tangling until it formed a quite professional looking net.

Lorelai nodded, looking pleased with herself. "I guess home economics does come in handy…"

* * *

With screams, shouts and cheers, the rebel army and Guardians bounced onto the net, burying one another as more and more landed on the vines.

Amethyst groaned and shook her head, crawling out of the pile of bodies she was under. "Everyone in one piece?" she checked.

Opal rolled herself off the top of the pile towards the edge of the net. "Just about," she nodded.

"Phmmphmm!"

Amethyst and Opal looked around them. Kayley and Lorelai were starting to free themselves and tumble over everyone to the edge of the netting, so that only left Ash.

"Phmm! PhmmMMMM!" The muffles echoed again.

Amethyst crinkled her brow. "Ash?" she tried, trying to get a feel for the girl's location.

"Bah!" Kayley gasped as an outstretched arm shot out at her. She smiled. "Found her!"

* * *

Near the never ending drop into the Abyss of Shadows sat a dark and murky dirty blue and ink black lake. Or maybe it was a swamp. Never mind. Either way, it seemed to be their only bridge to the little islands, floating like lily pads, on top of it.

"Everyone ready?" Lorelai checked, placing a tight grip over two of the vines.

"No," Amethyst stated, but was purposefully ignored.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Kayley smiled, gripping the vines just like Lorelai.

The plan, concocted by Ash, was to Tarzan swing over the abysmal drop into the water beside it. Not a well-loved plan by all, but one that would have to do.

Lorelai nodded. "Here goes nothing,"

With that, she concentrated her mind of snapping the two farther supports tethering them to the rock face. At the right moment, she timed the next snap near impeccably as the netting broke loose and began its plummet to the icy lake.

"Nyaaaaa!" Amethyst shrieked, tightly shutting her eyes as she awaited the impact. When it came, she flailed her arms around manically, sinking beneath the surface as more people dropped down on top of her like raindrops.

The chilling water engulfed and the strange inky pollution hindered her clear vision, making being able to tell up from down that much harder.

Eventually, during the course of her panicked wailing, the girl simply floated to the surface; but her panic wasn't cut short until Opal shook her back into reality and handed her a floating log.

"Amethyst, listen very carefully," Opal's dark green eyes pierced in Amethyst's blue ones. "I shall not repeat this to you: You are the water Guardian. You. Cannot. Drown. Do you understand me?"

The girl just looked through her with blank eyes.

"Is she okay?" Kayley spluttered, coughing up water. "I heard someone screaming. Figured it was her."

"How ironic," Lorelai smiled thinly as she swam up to them, flanked by Ash. "The water Guardian is the only one of us unable to swim."

"Yeah, well last time I checked you weren't so crazy about mud either," Amethyst snapped back, pulling a face. Lorelai rolled her eyes but couldn't resist returning the gesture.

* * *

In time, the rebel mass and the Guardians had huddled over onto one of the biggest lilipads islands and had managed to all squeeze on, awaiting further instructions.

Just as Opal opened her mouth to ask for said instructions, across the water only a mere thirty feet from them, a pinprick of blue air rapidly grew into a large electric blue fold, floating calmly in the air.

Everyone froze. No-one came from the other side.

Kayley looked about the pairs of eyes looming down on her and clarified, "Don't look at me - I didn't do that. How could I?"

"Well…" Amethyst mumbled. "Who did?"

"Only one way to find out…" Ash breathed, diving head first back into the murky water and wading through the water. She pulled herself onto the bank, dripping puddles.

"Careful!" One of the rebels called from across the pond.

Ash nodded, tensed her shoulders and shielded her eyes as she walked into the bright light.

Moments later, she hopped back through. "It's just a park," she declared. "Couple of swing sets, tall buildings across the road, cars. It looks normal to me."

"Are there any street signs?" Lorelai inquired.

Ash tutted and poked her head back through. "Two," she said, returning. "Baker and Oak."

"I reside on Oak," Opal stated as Ash began her swim back. "and I am late enough as it is. Perhaps I should take it and return home before my mother calls any federal agents to search for me."

"Good idea," Kayley nodded, and putting a hand on her shoulder, she quietly and sincerely said, "Good luck,"

Opal nodded back. "And to yourselves."

Kayley nodded and smiled, helplessly, as Opal began her journey into the lion's den.

Once Opal was across and back through the fold, Kayley sealed it. Loud enough for everyone to hear her, she said, "Okay people, listen up. I'm not entirely sure how to get you back to your village. See, I know we told you we are the Guardians and all, but we… well, I… sorta, kinda, lost the crystal back at the battleground."

Mocking and harsh mumbles and murmurs spread through the small crowd like a virus and Kayley hung her head, shamefully, and debated whether the murky water surrounding her would be deep enough to drown her. Though, she reminded herself that you can drown in a puddle and was glad her options were left open.

"Do you mean this crystal?" a boy, no older than eleven, walked up to Kayley and from underneath his jacket pulled out a glowing pink crystal amulet.

"The Heart of Kandrakar," Kayley breathed, eyes growing wide as she carefully took the jewel from the boy. "How long have you had this?"

"I picked it up when you were trying to help my brother. His name's Tari, and I'm Matthew."

Suddenly, Kayley recognized him. She also realized that the boy had the crystal all along and hissed, "Why didn't you think of giving this to me sooner?"

"Now where's the fun in that?" the boy joked.

Kayley stared him down with daggers. He obviously had some nouse about him, but as Kayley bent down to eye level with him, she couldn't help but speak slowly as if she was talking to a three year old. "We could have died," she managed. "We got thrown into a dungeon, chased by some armed monsters, hurled ourselves off a cliff that leads to no-where, almost drowned and you say you were having a laugh?! I'm cold, I'm wet, I'm hungry, I have a violent headache and am probably going to be grounded until Christmas for missing curfew, and this was just a game for you?!"

Matthew looked up at her with blank, innocent eyes. "What's Christmas?"

At that moment, Kayley heart sank. She swapped her glare for a sympathetic smile and stood up to rustle the boy's hair. "Sorry," she managed. Looking around her, she noticed the boy was alone. "Where's your brother?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Matthew frowned. "I lost him in the chaos. I hope he didn't get captured, though I can't be sure…"

Kayley nodded. Returning back to the restless crowd she opened up a fold. "If I'm right, this fold will take you to four to the alley beside the school. You better get home. It's late."

"You're not coming with us?" Amethyst crinkled her brow.

Kayley shook her head. "I'm going to see if I can help little Matthew here find his brother."

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Ash offered.

"I won't be long," Kayley assured. "Just a little errand."

Lorelai smiled weakly at the tattered, bruised, small girl desperately trying to act as if she knew how to be a leader. She nodded and, as if reading her thoughts, said, "Don't worry, you did well."

Kayley smiled back at her, weakly.

* * *

As the fold closed behind the Guardians, Kayley opened another one in its place. Motioning for everyone to follow, she stepped out to the dense forest landscape of hilltop. Smiling at the astonished gasps of the villagers - most of whom had probably never seen a vibrantly lit city before - she opened another fold in her path and stated, "This fold, if I'm right, should take you back to your village. The other Guardians and I will return soon and help in whatever way we can."

Kayley stopped Matthew as he was about to walk through and left him to last, personally guiding him through. She was surprised to find she'd actually landed them in, what used to be, the town centre. However, her happiness soon subsided as she studied the damage in all its intensity. It was rare for a building to be left standing, and if it was it either had been looted or half a wall smashed in at the very least.

Burnt debris littered the floors, along with swords and make-shift weapons that had lost their owners. Another stomach churning sight and smell was that of the deceased sprawled out around the street. Aside from the few dozen rescued, it was a ghost town.

"Tari!" Matthew began calling. "Tari, it's Matthew. It's safe to come out now. Tari!"

Kayley joined in with the calling, forcing the hopelessness out of her voice. It seemed to work as soon enough a young boy crawled out from underneath a hay cart and scrambled over to his brother, embracing him tightly. Matthew squeezed him back and lifted him into the air, tears in his eyes. "Hey buddy," he sniffed with relief and joy. "Is that arm okay?"  
Tari nodded rapidly and giggled. "Hey Matty!"

Matthew smiled back and laughed through his tears. "Hey Tari,"

Kayley honestly hadn't expected such a reaction. It was heart-warming and felt it rewarded them for all they had suffered through that evening. Everything now seemed like it was worth it.

She turned to open a fold and as she did, Matthew turned around and placed Tari on the ground next to him and called, "Hey Guardian girl,"

Kayley turned back. The tears in his voice had gone.

"Thank you, for everything."

Kayley smiled. "No problem kid," she went to walk through again, but his voice called her back.

"One last thing?" he asked.

"Shoot,"

Matthew grinned. "Could you tell the Earth Guardian I think she's good looking?"

Kayley grinned back. "_Way_ out of your league, short stuff."

Finally, she walked through.


	18. For Heart's Long Lost - Chapter Five

"My Lord," Raven greeted, bowing to one knee.

Phobos smiled thinly as he took another sip from his jewel encrusted chalice. They twinkled in his emerald eyes. "Raven," Phobos greeted in return. "You wished for an audience?"

"Yes my liege," Raven nodded once. "I wanted to inform you that our hunt for the remaining honour guards is on schedule. I hope to find them before the week is out."

"No so fast, Raven," Phobos said, slowly. "Might I remind you we are dealing with cunning men. They won't fall so easily."

He sat back in his throne, hoping to make himself more comfortable against the strong, solid wood. Taking another sip from his chalice, he examined the young man at his feet, still draped in the same cloak of ink black feathers. With a smile, he mused, "Drake, Tynar, Raythor and Aldarn - the men responsible for my imprisonment. I trust Vathek isn't talking?"

"Not a word sire,"

"As expected," Phobos nodded, casually. "But we shall find them. This time, this very time, no-one shall stand in the way of me and my destiny."

Raven cottoned on to his foolish excitement, and cursed himself for needing to delicately remind, "The Guardians, sire?"

Phobos rolled his eyes and motioned for a servant to refill his chalice. "Are of no threat," Phobos finished. "They are weak and unstable. We captured them with ease and even if they did manage to escape, they only could free a handful of rebels," Through gritted teeth, he added, "There was no loss, save for not finding the Heart of Kandrakar."

Raven assured, "I've had the appropriate guards punished. Forgive me, sire, but the window of opportunity to take the Heart won't last forever."

Phobos chuckled softly before saying, "Everyday on this throne, my powers rejuvenates, growing stronger every minute. By the time the Heart is unable to be captured, I will be up to my full strength with many Heart's under my belt, along with Kandrakar's, and the Guardians will be no more. The Guardians are young and inexperienced. I see they are but a dim shadow of their predecessors. You needn't fret, Raven."

After the motion was given for him to stand, Raven inquired, "My orders, master?"

"Widen the search for the traitors," Phobos instructed. "Double the mass of soldiers in the Infinite City, and extend the boundaries above ground into the Northern Plains.

"As you wish, my liege,"

"And how is our other _project_ going?" Phobos inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Slowly, but surely," Raven answered. "The sorcerers we have encountered each have a vague knowledge on the matter, and the worlds with the tools and instruments we require are steadily being located," a few small beads of sweat located down his face as he noted, "However, it won't be completed within the month like you requested, master."

Phobos threw the jewel encrusted chalice to the ground. "Then tell your men to speed up if they wish to live into the harvest months, understood?"

"Yes, master," Raven nodded, swooping his cloak to wrap around himself. Then, the cloak vanished and in its place flew a small, feathery bird with piercing eyes glinting in the moonlight. It took flight, gliding out of the grand throne room.

* * *

The next morning rolled around quick enough, bringing with it winter frost encasing Pinewood in a frozen cocoon. Everyone magically turned into dragons with every breath they took, pouring out white, smoky mist from their mouths.

Opal and Kayley walked into school together with their hands dug deep into their pockets and wearing an extra two layers apiece.

"How did it go down at your house, Opal?" Kayley dismally asked, already having an idea of the answer.

Opal rubbed her palms together, using a small portion of her fire power to give herself much needed warmth. "There were two policemen to greet me in my living room, if that gives you an inkling."

"Ouch," Kayley winced. "How long's the sentence this time?"

"I got away fairly easy this time," Opal answered. "I am grounded for the next two weeks, but the worst part is they took away all my reading material."

Kayley did a spit take. "Are you kidding me?" she cried. "If I'm in trouble my Mom _makes_ me read stuff!"

"Well, seems _we_ are the lucky one," Opal sassed, smiling derisively. Shaking her head, she continued, "Actually, I have Natalie to thank for my reduced sentence. She arrived home half an hour later after looking for me and basically took the brunt of their punishment."

Kayley lowered her tone. "Opal, you didn't…"

"No, I did not tell her where I was last night," Opal assured, sighing. "Though that was probably the hardest part…"

"Hey losers," Trish sneered, strolling up to the shivering two. She was flanked on either side by Sandra and Lorelai. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Nothing at all," Kayley hissed through gritted teeth, clenching a fist with one hand and rubbing her forehead with the other. Even after a night's sleep, Kayley still had the lingering remains of a headache pestering her. Luckily, her mother had missed the gigantic bruise which had formed on the back of her head. She stepped forward and demanded, "What do you want Trish?"

"Oooo!" she and Sandra chorused, the former adding, "Hostility! Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Well, from the state of your hair it sure looks that way!"

Both she and Sandra collapsed in a heap of cartoonish laughter, but after a while, Trish realized that Lorelai was not sharing in their enjoyment and had taken a few steps back, frowning.

Trish crinkled her brow. "You did hear what I said, right Lorelai?"

Lorelai nodded and shrugged. "This is old," she muttered. "Can we just leave them and go?"

"Excuse me?" Sandra scoffed. "What's your problem Rory?"

"Nothing," Lorelai said, only a tad more assertiveness past her sheepish tone. "Just why can't we leave them alone, you know? They've done nothing wrong."

She began to walk off, but Trish grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Let her go," Opal demanded, tensing her shoulders.

Trish stared into Lorelai's coconut eyes, and in turn Lorelai stared into Trish's piercing emerald ones. None flinched, until Trish snapped her head around to Kayley. "So that's how it's going to be?" she snarled, "You had one chat with her and you brainwashed her, didn't you?"

"I didn't brainwash her," Kayley argued. "Maybe Lorelai's finally able to see clearly that you're just a spiteful bully that only picks a fight with us to make yourself seem 'superior' and 'cool', when in fact you're just a pompous, good-for-nothing, arrogant little _bitch_."

Dead silence echoed in a small radius around them. Kayley's words had cut through all laughter and cheerful conversation, replacing it with speechless tension.

"Say it again a little louder," Opal whispered to her. "I am not certain they heard you over in Hartford."

Trish was speechless too. She simply released her strong grip on Lorelai's arm and edged back, Sandra in tow, not letting her glare leave Kayley's for a second until she finally broke the silence, vowing, "This isn't over…"

* * *

Kayley waved goodbye to Opal down the corridor and stepped into her Geography class, thankfully warming her up from the chilly winter air outside. Another pleasant feeling greeted her; this time it was this delicious smell…

Ash sat on her desk, refilling her orange juice cup. Seemingly studying the newspaper, she casually took another spoonful from her cereal bowl.

Kayley edged nearer to the desk and just stared at Ash, unspeaking. The girl simply glanced back at her and took another spoonful, then another, until she finally said, "Can I help you?"

"You're having breakfast… in class?"

Ash stared at the girl like she'd pointed out the sky was blue. "Uh-huh," she garbled with a mouthful or scrumptious bran flakes.

"You can't just have breakfast in the middle of-" Kayley was cut off as her eyes caught the small white china plate resting next to the cereal bowl. There, the delicious smell radiated from. "Is that Canadian bacon?!" she cried, rushing to swipe a slice before scooting over to her seat.

Ash smiled amusedly and handed a piece of bacon to her right where Tee sat. All three girls tucked in just as Ms Briggs walked into the room.

"You're not Professor Sands," Tee stated, chewing with an open mouth.

Mrs Briggs - deputy head of Lakewood and current Latin teacher of a few of the girls - dropped her shoulders and said, "You figure that out all by yourself Miss Jones?"

Amethyst scurried in the door. "Sorry I'm late sir," she apologized, rushing in too quick to notice it wasn't her usual Professor. Her eyes struck the mouth-watering meat still lingering on Ash's table. "Ooo, is that bacon?"

She swiped a slice on the way to her desk and sat down, stopping dead still of letting the bacon reach her lips before she noticed Ms Briggs glaring back at her.

Ms Briggs, AKA the drill sergeant of Lakewood, was the one teacher feared by all, staff and students alike. She was strict enough that even a cough in the wrong place could wind you up in detention, and the wrong word here or there could get you expelled. Amethyst froze in place, save for her shaking. Telepathically, to Kayley and Ash, she asked, _"Anyone else see Professor Sands in a skirt and cardigan, or is it just me?"_

_"Just you,"_ they chorused back.

Ms Briggs crossed her arms. "I didn't realize the breakfast club hadn't been let out yet," she raised her eyebrows at Ash. "You must be the new girl, Miss Anderson. Judging from your file, no doubt I'll be seeing a lot more of you. Now, the food?"

Ash took another bite. "In all fairness, it is Canadian bacon;" she extended a hand with the plate in. "You want some?"

"Put it away!" Ms Briggs demanded, nearly forcefully enough for Amethyst to jump out of her own skin.

Ash quickly gathered the plates left, right and centre and then panicked, darting her head around her.

Tee reached for the stack. "Give them here," she groaned, taking her final bite of bacon as the dished were sent her way.

The desk in front of Tee's, not four feet from her own, gave residence to Joey Benson. Assigned seating meant they were in close proximity with each other for an entire hour, never spelling good news for Joey. Today would be no different.

Foolishly, Joey had left his bag wide open and hanging from the back of his chair. Before he could interrupt or protest, Tee scooped all the dirty dishes - including a half glass of orange juice, a half full bowl of cereal and a plate housing two streaks of bacon - into his backpack.

"There, it's put away," Tee grumbled. "Happy now?"

Ms Briggs gave her an icy glare and declared, "Detention, all four of you."

"What?" they all chorused, either throwing their arms in the air in frustration or banging them down on the desk. Ash dared to add, "That's totally unfair, lady! I at least offered you some bacon!"

"Double detention," Ms Briggs sternly announced, folding her arms.

"_What?!_"

"You want to make it triple, Miss Anderson?"

Ash didn't dare open her mouth. Looking around her, Kayley, Tee and Amethyst ushered her not to continue this lost cause. Instead, Ash slumped back in her chair and grumbled something to herself, inaudibly.


	19. For Heart's Long Lost - Chapter Six

"It. Was. AMAZING!" Amethyst exclaimed, bounding around the lab table where Taranee was desperately trying to concentrate on setting up the apparatus.

"Uh-huh…" she mumbled, taking another few tubes out of the cardboard box and wondering what the heck they were for. She put them back in, hoping against hope that they weren't necessary.

"We fought and we flew!" Amethyst continued. "And we took down loads of weird creature-people, but-"

"…Amethyst…" Taranee tried to interrupt, but it fell on deaf ears.

"-we got captured, and put in this deep dark dungeon thingy, but we escaped, and-"

"Amethyst,"

"-we freed loads of these prisoners, then we got chased by some bad guys, then we leapt off this massive cliff, and-"

"Amethyst!" Finally, Taranee got the girl to shut up. Sighing, Taranee said, "I appreciate your enthusiasm and all, but this really isn't my thing anymore."

Amethyst stared at her. "What are you trying to say?"

"She's trying to find the polite way of saying 'tell it to someone who cares'," Kayley huffed, jumping down from the lab desk she was sitting on. Ignoring the fact she was talking to one of her frequent teachers, she demanded, "What's your beef with us anyway?"

"It's not you," Taranee responded, heaving a box onto the desk. "It's the Guardians in general. Look, I'd much rather not get into this, okay? I've found someone else who can be your 'mentor'."

Amethyst crinkled her brow. "Who's that?"

"Your Mom."

* * *

"My Mom… a Guardian too?" Amethyst breathed, staring blankly into the road beyond her.

Ash chuckled. "No matter how many times you say it, it doesn't make it any less true."

The entire Guardian gang were walking side-by-side down the streets up to Amethyst's house, Lorelai included. Since her outburst against Trish, Lorelai was more inclined to be seen and hang around with the rest of the Guardians, seeing as she didn't really care for much of a friendship with Trish and Sandra anymore.

A fifteen minute walk to Amethyst's wasn't welcome on such a chilly winter's day, the cold biting away at them and making them shiver down to their core.

"I'm still thinking about Ms Briggs," Kayley grumbled, stuffing her hands further into her pockets. "Oh I hate her so much right now…"

"Really?" Ash responded, dryly. "I thought she was a bundle of joy."

"We need to get her back," Amethyst decided.

Lorelai scoffed. "She gave you one double detention, get over it,"

Amethyst stood upright. "I will not get over it," she objected. "This is a matter of principal."

Opal shook her head. "May I enquire as to the reason behind your punishment this time?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes and smiled, stating, "They were eating breakfast in class."

Opal raised her eyebrows and gave an almost impressed smile. "A new one for the books, I will give you that." She asked, "What foods in particular stirred up such turmoil?"

Ash scratched her head, trying to remember. "I think it was… bran flakes, milk, orange juice and bacon."

"Ah, but what type of bacon?"

"Canadian," Amethyst answered.

"Incredulous!" Opal scoffed. "And to think she had the nerve to punish you?"

Apparently not seeing through the sarcasm, Amethyst threw up her hands and agreed, exclaiming, "I know, right?"

Kayley nudged Amethyst lightly and persisted in asking, "Come on, how are we going to get her back?"

Amethyst thought for a moment. You could almost see the wheels turning inside her head. Finally, she gasped and exclaimed, "I've got it!"

She quickly whispered the idea to Kayley and Ash, who both grinned wickedly.

* * *

"Hey Amy!" Cassidy's voice greeted, but she didn't seem to be anywhere around. Just then, she poked her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, I didn't realize we had company!" she smiled and took off her washing gloves. Walking out of the kitchen, she realized there were two unfamiliar faces looking back at her. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh, right," Amethyst smacked her forehead. "Mom, this is Ash and Lorelai. Ash is new to Pinewood."

"Please to meet you," Cassidy said, shaking both of their hands before apologizing about her scruffy attire.

"This is actually her weekend clothes," Amethyst chimed in, forcing her mother to grin wickedly and say, "Yeah, I borrowed them from your wardrobe, missy!"

Ash chuckled, looking around the living room.

It was a fair sized semi-modern suburban house in a quiet neighbourhood. The living room was standard, a large rectangular rug separating the cotton couches from the television. On one wall stood two bookshelves, each varying from older classics to modern best-sellers. On another wall was a mini-media corner. There was a large DVD shelf was a little section dedicated to old original VHS tapes - now ancient devices. There was also a shelf housing multiple music systems; an old record player with many vinyl records, a cassette player with a thin layer of dust over the top of it, save for the handful of tapes resting on top, and an up-to-date stereo system with a whole rack of CD's ranging from various different artists and genres.

"You have a lovely home," Ash said, perusing the CD rack for anything familiar. Out of politeness, Lorelai concurred.

After thanking them, Cassidy told them to make themselves comfortable and offered them some lemonade, which they graciously accepted.

"Niamh and Josh are around their friend's houses," Cassidy noted from the kitchen. "They said they won't be home for until after dinner. You know what that means?"

"Movie night?" Amethyst guessed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Movie night!" Cassidy confirmed. She walked back into the living room with a tray full of glasses and two plates of biscuits. "You're all welcome to join us if you want?"

"That's very sweet of you, Mrs Cook," Ash began, delicately.

"Call me Cassidy," Cassidy broke in.

"Right, _Cassidy_, but we must be getting home soon. Another time, perhaps?" Ash smiled.

"Totally," Cassidy winked. Sitting the tray down, the parched Ash was first to take a gulp. Just at that time, Cassidy casually said, "So, you're all the new Guardians of Kandrakar, huh?"

Ash nearly choked on her lemonade. Coughing, she said, "Well, that escalated quickly…"

Cassidy chuckled. "Yeah, Taranee called me yesterday. Do you have the Heart with you?"

Kayley pulled the Heart out from underneath her shirt and held it out so Cassidy could examine it.

"So that's what it looks like nowadays," she nodded approvingly, marvelling over the crystal by taking it in from several different angles. "I think I prefer this one to the last. The other one was so cumbersome and retro. This one's much cooler."

Cassidy smiled. Then, in the awkward silence, scratched the back of her head and asked, "Out of curiosity… how much did Taranee tell you about me?"

"Just that you were a Guardian before her," Amethyst replied. Curiosity peaked, she warily inquired, "Why? How much _haven't_ we been told…?"

Cassidy frowned. "I'm not sure how much you'd believe…"

Amethyst bore a deadly straight face. "What with everything that's happened this past week, I'm ready to believe anything," she said, straightforwardly.

Cassidy exhaled, deeply. To herself, she thought, "Might as well get the hard stuff out the way first…" and out loud, she said, "What about if I told you I'm a little older than I look?"

"How old?" Kayley enquired, ignoring the lessons she was taught of 'never ask a woman her age'.

Cassidy winced. "Seventy-eight,"

Ash did a spit take, spilling lemonade all over the carpet. "Sorry, sorry…" she fumbled about, trying to mop it up with her shirt.

To herself, Lorelai dryly murmured, "If that's true, I want a bottle of whatever she's selling…"

"C-Come again now…?" Amethyst breathed, edging closer to Cassidy. "Mom…?"

"It's true," Cassidy maintained.

"No, I refuse to believe my Mother was alive for the moon landing," Amethyst stated. "How… how is that possible?"

Cassidy sighed. "I can tell this is going to be a long afternoon. Shall I start from the beginning?"

"If you could, please…"

* * *

The conversation, in its entirety, lasted a good hour, Cassidy stopping frequently to answer their questions. She found no real way to shorten it or sugar-coat it. She started right at the beginning from when she was fifteen in 1959 and found out that her and her friends were chosen to be the next Guardians of Kandrakar. She weaved them through that fateful day, the thought-to-be haunted house, the talking painting, all of it. The girls took it in with mouths gaped open and the occasional amazed murmur.

After that, she talked them through her first days as the water Guardian and, eventually, her first enemy. Cassidy hated confrontation, but despite that loved being a Guardian. She told them about their enemy, the man whose loyalty was his downfall. He was a musician, Cassidy explained, but her and her friends defeated him and imprisoned him on another world called Arkhanta.

Then, she talked them through her death…

* * *

"Wait… you died?!" Amethyst cried, "But you're alive!"

Cassidy smiled. "It's all magic. The person that killed me resurrected me again later."

"Well now I'm confused…" Kayley mumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Why did they kill you?" Lorelai asked, wanting to keep on track. To herself, she added, "I know that cheery optimism could get on anyone's nerves, but Mrs Cook seems so… nice. Despite everything, that is."

"It was all to do with that little trinket you wear under your coat, Kayley," Cassidy explained. "Two generations ago, the Keeper of the Heart was my friend, Nerissa. Through her time as a Guardian, the Oracle saw how the Heart of Kandrakar was messing with Rissy's head, and so he gave it to me. Rissy then became furious with me because I wouldn't give it back to her. We got into a fight… forty years later, she brought me back from the dead."

"So… she killed you?" Ash surmised.

"I short, yes."

"How can you talk about that so… easily?" Opal asked in wonderment.

"I don't get caught up in the past," Cassidy answered. "That's all ancient history now. I don't hold any grudges with Rissy though - I still consider her one of my best friends."

Kayley shook her head. "But how?" she continued, hoping enough of the same question might slot the answers into place inside her mind. "How can you not hate her? Or the Kandrakar? Or anything? I mean, you got killed because you were a Guardian. Doesn't that make you mad?"

"Funnily enough, Taranee asked me the exact same thing," Cassidy noted. She took another sip of her drink. "I didn't get killed purely because I was a Guardian - I got killed because Nerissa was obsessed with her lost power. The Guardian part was just a catalyst. And I have no reason to hate the Oracle or Kandrakar. They were just doing their jobs. I don't wanna hold a silly grudge against them."

However, she saw that this development had struck a little fear into them, it showing in their eyes. Besides, she was once dubbed the Guardian of Empathy - she could tell these things just by looking at someone.

"Hey, hey, don't worry," she calmed them. "Look, what happened to me was a freak event. It doesn't have to happen to you guys too."

* * *

Finally, Cassidy finished her tale. It had taken quite a bit of extra time, seeing as she felt the need to go a little bit into what had happened after her resurrection, including her re-instated Guardianship and Miranda. Naturally, she simplified and shortened it, not wanting to give them an information overload.

"Any more questions?" she surveyed the room, relieved the hardest part was over and done with.

"Just one," Kayley spoke up. "What happened to Taranee?"

* * *

[AUTHORS NOTE: WOOT! For Heart's Long Lost is DONE! I just want to say thank you for everyone that's read up to here and to everyone that's favourited, followed or reviewed - it means a whole lot to me! I know writing isn't my strong point but writing KOALA is a lot of fun and I have many more ideas on the way, even though I'm struggling to get there whilst keeping everything to a certain standard of writing quality. My next episode is entitled 'Heart to Heart' and is - along with some stuff in Meridian - a lot about a prank war between a few of the Guardians! Sadly though, I'm not going to be updating for a little bit as I want to finish writing the episode before I start posting. I made the mistake of updating too quickly during The Heart's New Guardians and For Heart's Long Lost and it left me in a little bit of a structural mess. Never mind! All being well, God willing, I shall update in the not too distant future. I hope you all enjoy my upcoming chapters and episodes - peace!]


	20. Heart to Heart - Chapter One

Monday morning. The girls, after finishing their meeting with Cassidy, hadn't managed to meet up all weekend. Opal was tied up with greeting and entertaining various relatives, but was grounded nonetheless so it was null-and-void. Ash was forced into taking a triple-shift at the diner to repay a bet she lost against her brother, much to her despondency. Amethyst stayed at home with Cassidy all weekend; ever since the development of Guardianship running in the family with both her step-aunt Taranee and her mother, Amethyst had many qualms and doubts about being a Guardian. Understandable, since her own mother had died during service. Cassidy was trying to ease said qualms.

Kayley and Lorelai were left to their own devices, almost thankful that school came around quick enough as it gave everyone a chance to catch up again. For Kayley, it also meant they could put their little revenge prank on Ms Briggs into action.

At lunchtime, that time came. Kayley, Ash and Amethyst didn't have Latin that day, but Opal did and would be fortunate enough to see the effects of the prank first hand.

Ash handed Amethyst the super-duper-uber strength super-glue and said, "Now, a light layer will be enough. This stuff's magic. Just remember to go in and out quickly. Don't get cocky and glue all the chairs to the ceiling."

"You're not coming with us?" Kayley queried.

"Two's company, three's a crowd. Besides, you'll need a lookout. I'll keep posted by the teacher's lounge and tell you if she's coming."

Fourth period classes let out and Opal was greeted from Latin by Amethyst and Kayley, pestering her for conformation.

Opal sighed and nodded. It'd worked.

The prank was to thinly spread glue across the handle of Ms Brigg's special mug. As soon as she went to take a sip, she wouldn't be able to let go.

Ingenious in its simpleness - one quick glance through the door and the girls saw Ms Briggs vigorously trying to free her hand from her mug, unsuccessfully.

Opal rolled her eyes at the two girls barrelled over with their own laughter.

"That was the prank you intended to be vengeance for your double detention?" she said, unimpressed.

"Oh, and suppose you could do better?" Amethyst countered through her laughter.

"I know I could," Opal stated.

Their laughter subsided.

"Opal, you've never pulled a prank in your life," Kayley reminded. "No way could you out prank our genius,"

"If you are the definition of genius, then yes, yes I could."

"You don't know how to prank anyone!" Amethyst cried.

"I'm a quick learner," Opal noted.

Kayley nodded. "Okay, Opal," she began, suavely. "If you're so sure you could out prank us, prove it."

Opal enquired, "How?"

"A prank war!" both girls chorused, gleefully. For the benefit of Opal's puzzled reaction, Kayley explained, "A prank war: A war where both parties prank the other until one of the parties forfeit. I guess it would be you and Ash verses me and Amethyst."

"First, it's 'Amethyst and I'," Opal corrected. "Second, I don't need anyone's help."

"You sure?" Amethyst checked, uncertainly. "Like Kayley said, you don't know left from right about pranking…"

"And as I said, I'm a quick learner."

"Well alright then," Kayley smiled. "We'll just have to swear into the pranker's pact and then the prank war can begin!"

* * *

The next day, Kayley, Opal and Amethyst crowded around an old, crumpled piece of paper with the words, 'pRanCer$ pAct' scribbled on it.

Ash, Tee, Lorelai and Lia were crowded around them.

"So, explain this one more time to me..." Lia whispered to her twin sister.

"This is the Pranker's Pact," Tee answered, "Basically, Ash is going to read out a list of vows they have to swear to uphold whilst in the prank war.

Kayley nodded, expression serious, at Ash. "Do the honours, Ash."

Ash nodded back. "Before I start the formalities, are you all sure you want to do this?" she checked, keeping her worried eyes fixed on Opal.

All nodded.

"And what is the prize for the victorious party?" Ash queried.

After a few moments Opal finally said, "Aside from the glory I will relish in after I am victorious? Twenty dollars."

"Twenty dollars it is then," Ash confirmed after checking Kayley and Amethyst agreed. "Now, repeat after me," she began in a tone so formal and serious it felt odd coming from Ash's mouth.

"I promise to uphold the rules of the prank war,"

"I promise to uphold the rules of the prank war," Opal, Amethyst and Kayley repeated in unison back at her after placing one hand on the crumpled paper and another over their heart.

"So long as the game shall continue,"

"I understand and accept that the game cannot end until one party forfeits,"

"I will not pull any prank that may injure or endanger the lives of anyone,"

"I will accept responsibilities for any repercussions of any pranks as if they were my own,"

"And not bear any grudges against my teammates or my opponents,"

"Nor will I rat on any of them to look out for myself or in vengeance,"

"Nor will I reveal to anyone I am in a prank war,"

"Any punishments from authority figures I take in my stride,"

"I accept any actions I do as a result of a prank as my own,"

"I promise to uphold the forfeit if I lose,"

"And I know I can end the game at any time, just by saying 'I forfeit',"

"I swear to uphold these rules in the highest honour so long as the game may continue,"

_"P.S.,"_ Ash added telepathically to them, _"I swear not to use any of my magical abilities for anything during or to aid a prank,"_

The three echoed it back to her telepathically.

"Any questions?" Ash asked, openly.

"Just one," Opal answered. "What about if we need assistance to set up a prank? You say we can't disclose the fact that we are in a prank war, but are there any exceptions?"

Ash bit her lip. "That's always been a tricky one…" she admitted.

Amethyst agreed but suggested, "What about this: We're allowed help with a prank only if the other party doesn't know or isn't good mates with them? So… if I had a cousin in Idaho that you didn't know about, they could lend a hand."

Kayley nodded. "I like that," she agreed. "But having family in on the prank is off limits, or any one of us for that matter."

Opal concurred.

Tee clapped once loudly. "Alright then - let the prank war commence!"


	21. Heart to Heart - Chapter Two

Wednesday. Kayley jogged up to where Tee and Ash were talking. "Hey," she greeted. "Have you seen Opal?"

"No, why?" Ash enquired.

Kayley dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of raisins. "She filled my entire locker with raisins."

Tee did a spit take, placing one hand on Kayley's shoulder as she calmed herself.

"How is that funny?" Kayley questioned.

"It's not," Tee replied. "That's why it's so funny!"

Kayley shook her head and scanned around the courtyard, seeing if she could scout out Opal. "I don't know guys," she said, dismally, "If this is Opal's idea of a prank…"

It was at that moment Amethyst strutted up to them and heaved her bag to the ground in an over dramatic fashion.

Ash, reading her expression in an instant, guessed, "Opal got you too, huh?"

Amethyst pulled a face and opened her bag, scooping a handful of the contents. "She filled my entire bag with dried out baby grapes,"

"Don't you mean raisins?" Kayley corrected.

"No," Amethyst maintained, humourlessly. "I mean dried out baby grapes. I don't know when. I don't know how. All I know is that there's a tonne of them."

Amethyst sighed and smiled sympathetically. "Kayley, I wondering if we should call this whole thing off. I mean, the girl just doesn't have a clue."

"Yeah," Kayley agreed. "I feel sorry for her. She had to buy all those raisins. It's more of a prank on her than on us."

"Well, it's our turn next. We'll have to go easy on her."

"Something back to basics," Kayley decided. "Something so harmless you could prank a Kindergartner with it…"

* * *

English class. Kayley and Amethyst snuck up to the class five minutes before class commenced. By routine, Professor Blankly would be several minutes late after the bell so that would make the timing of the prank easy to comply to.

Creeping inside, Amethyst took one of the only working board markers from his desk (board markers never seem to work the first time you use them and, out of a pack of six, the red one was the only one with a flicker of life left in it) and began writing.

After the careful Arial Bold craftsmanship put into each letter, Amethyst stepped back to admire the masterpiece. "Ready?"

Kayley smiled, maliciously. "Perfect…" she purred.

Opal strolled into the English class and stopped at the doorway. Amethyst and Kayley were already seated, equipment unpacked, perfect posture.

"Something's wrong…" she observed, carefully edging to her desk. Kayley's and Amethyst's eyes followed her until she sat down and began unpacking. After emptying all the necessary contents of her bag required for the class, she looked to the board.

'Opal loves Blankly to the moon and bak!'

Ignoring her own blushing, she shot an unimpressed glare at the two culprits, both concealing their laughter.

_"Really?"_ she thought to them both. _"That is all you could come up with? I am disappointed in you. Oh, and congratulations to both of you - I will be sure to ask Professor Blankly for a spelling test next week."_

Amethyst and Kayley's laughter subsided and they glanced at the board, ignoring their own blushing.

The class around them had managed to contain their snickering as Professor Blankly jogged in and viewed the scrawled message.

"Who wrote that?" he demanded in as a serious a tone as he could manage. It came out high pitched and squeaky and made a few of the class giggle at how pathetic he sounded.

Telepathically, Kayley reminded, _"Remember Opal, no telling now…"_

Opal groaned and buried her head in her hands, wishing she had been quicker to try and rub it off.

"I will get them back for this…" Opal vowed.

* * *

After school on Friday, the Guardians were walking home together. Seeing as Opal was grounded, a stop-off at Ash's diner wasn't possible, so they agreed to walk Opal home. The conversation fluttered through the two pranks of the day into casual conversation before Amethyst settled the topic onto a serious note…

"When are we going back to Meridian?" she asked. Immediately, one could see the effects the unwelcome topic change had. Everyone shrunk down and silenced. Amethyst persisted, "Come on guys. It's nearly been a week. We have to go back."

"To be honest, I though the conversation with Cass might have deterred you from wanting to be a Guardian," Kayley confessed, wincing.

"She also deterred me from skipping out on our duty," Amethyst replied. "We gotta do this, guys. We have to go back. That's our job as Guardians."

"How?" Opal questioned. "I am currently under house arrest for the next week and a half."

"Well, we gotta get there somehow!" Ash agreed. "And I wanna go tonight - it's time for action!"

Lorelai smiled. "Despite everything… it was exhilarating last time."

The four looked to Kayley, waiting for one final approval. Kayley grinned. "Let's do this, but not tonight. Opal, didn't you tell me you had two nights of relatives?"

Opal nodded. "My Grandmother is a light sleeper. We have exactly a 0% chance of escaping without waking her."

"We'll go on Sunday then, once everyone's asleep," Kayley decided. "That way, Opal may not get caught."

"But what if my parents look into my room whilst I am away," Opal noted. "If they think I have snuck out…"

"Then we better hope they don't," Amethyst stated, sighing.

* * *

Opal quietly hopped down from her balcony, making a light thud on the grass below.

"We must go," she whispered, nervously. "I have never crept out at night before. Come to think of it, I have never crept out during the day either. Nevertheless, I do not have a death wish, so if you please…"

She nodded to Kayley, who raised the Heart of Kandrakar and, with concealed anxiety, swiped the Heart through the air, creating a bright blue fold in its path.

They hurried through quickly and sealed it shut.

Examining their surroundings, they recognized where they were this time, it being roughly the same place they had landed on their last visit.

After transforming, the girls flew into the village and surveyed the area from above.

"So…" Lorelai began. "What are we supposed to be doing again?"

"Look," Kayley pointed to a figure down below and dived towards it. Landing gently, Kayley greeted, "Hi Matthew,"

The boy turned round and gasped, before recognizing the distinctive uniforms of the Guardians. "Hello again," the boy grinned. "What, was last time not traumatizing enough?"

Kayley smiled down at him, wryly. "You've got a big mouth for such a small boy."

"Hey, I'm eleven you know!" Matthew protested, but Kayley just laughed.

"Whatever kid. Listen, we're looking for someone who might be important to talk to. Can you show us to them?"

Matthew did a quick double check over his shoulders and whispered. I can't, but I know someone who can. Follow me."

* * *

"The men you want are camping outside Torus Filney, nearest the Plains region in the North."

Ash stared at the frail, old and cloaked man and feared that he might die in the space of this conversation, so thought it best to hurry him along. "In case you haven't noticed, we're from out of town," she said, trying not to be rude. "Can you point us in the right direction or at least to someone that might?"

"Just head north-west until you come to a barren clearing," a young man instructed, appearing form the shadows. He was tall with a sharp dark blue tunic and an even sharper sword at his side. He also had dusty blonde hair and a pair of faded sideburns that were just about noticeable. "They'll be a few dozen mud huts that wheat farmers reside in until the Harvest season. The men you're looking for will be there."

"Well, _hel-lo_," Lorelai greeted, blushing. Amethyst nudged her in the side and took over, "Thanks. And you are?"

"Jonathon," he introduced, bowing slightly. "You must be the Guardians of Kandrakar?"

"Are the outfits a dead giveaway?" Ash smirked.

Kayley continued, "How do you know they'll be there?"

"I'm one of Captain Drake's informants," Jonathon explained, "He was hoping to meet the new Guardians of Kandrakar very soon. I trust you can find your way?"

"We'll manage," Kayley nodded. "Let's go…"


	22. Heart to Heart - Chapter Three

Flying over the murky waters and barren landscapes of the world below them, the girls scanned the distance ahead of them to find the 'landmarks' they were seeking, but still after five minutes of flying, they had nothing.

"This is north, yes?" Ash checked with Opal, who nodded. Ash wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? I mean, there's no Sun around to use as a bearing."

Lorelai noted, "There's barely a moon either."

The girls kept flying for another ten minutes, thankful that flying didn't require much energy. The only thing hindering them in any way was their tiredness.

Finally though, they found the mud huts Jonathon was talking about and swooped down to get a closer look.

On the ground, the Guardians peered inside, walking past until one man dived out of his hut behind them and exclaimed, "It's the Guardians! They're here!"

Drake walked out of his little home, along with several others from around the site.

"Welcome, Guardians," he greeted, gleefully. "Boy, are we glad you're here. Come inside."

After being ushered in, they were introduced to those dubbed 'The Rebel Army's Commanders'.

For such a small hut, who knew so many people could fit inside at once.

Drake was the most human looking out of them all. He wore a faded green tunic over a full black attire. On top of that was a long red cape and at his belt a sheathed sword.

Raythor, when he greeted them, had an Australian-like accent despite his only near-humanoid appearance. Half of his body was covered in spiked armour, such as his shoulder and wrist guards, along with his helmet. He had a steel plated skirt with a sword at his side, along with a large blue-green cape.

Tynar looked like the same species as Raythor. He wore very similar armour too, save for his lack of a helmet was replaced with a long braid of hair.

Aldarn looked entirely different too in species, for he was of lizard-like green skin with what looked like scales on his face. He was dressed in a purple tunic and clutching at a wooden staff.

The little entourage didn't look like those who would typically plan treason. On their own, they looked more like heavily armoured boy scouts.

"Guardians," Tynar breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you've come."

Amethyst shrugged. "We had a free evening, so-"

"So we came to help," Kayley finished, shooting Amethyst a glare. "Last time we were here, things kinda didn't look all that great."

"That's because they're far from," Drake said, shaking his head dismally. "Perhaps I ought to start from the beginning…"

Drake told the Guardians of their predicament. How a stranger, Raven, had somehow weaved his way into the higher ranks of Meridian via some form of strong deception or hypnotism. Through his months in the castle, he managed to sign everyone into a binding agreement that Elyon and her power shall be stored in the Chamber of Ambivalence until further trials. Neither her power nor Elyon herself can be released unless under the orders of Drake, Tynar, Vathek, Raythor, Aldarn and of course, Raven.

Raven had mesmerised them with a court-case-like argument using knowledge he obtained primarily from castle gossip: She was young and raised on a foreign world. She'd already lost the Heart's power once and could lose it again. She had brought Meridian into countless unnecessary conflicts with other worlds, along with bringing many battles to her own. Her brother was the tyrannical Prince Phobos, and she had managed to have been swayed by him and almost tricked into forfeiting her power to him. Also, how could one not know if she had a streak of evil in her because of him? After all, they are of blood relations.

Somehow, they'd been deceived by him so easily, and now here they were, wanted rebels hunted by the cruel Prince Phobos. This time, it was all their doing.

Once they had finished their tale, Ash stared at them dully and said, "Despite hypnotism or whatever, didn't any of you stop and think for one moment that 'Hmm, this may backfire'?"

"Unfortunately not," Raythor replied. "But I'll give my life to right what has been wronged."

Kayley nodded. "So, how strong is this Phobos guy anyway?" she asked.

Drake considered this. "He probably has enough power to match yours in a pinch."

"And years more experience," Aldarn supplied.

"And what power Raven holds in his possession," Tynar supplied.

"Along with an entire army," Raythor grimaced. Stepping forward, he levelled with them, "I'll put it another way for you: The first time Phobos was defeated by the Guardians, they had the help of an entire rebel army on their side of at least a thousand men. We don't have that. In addition, it took everyone everything they had, months of fighting, and even then it was Queen Elyon that was the game changer. We're going to need a miracle if we hope to survive this war, Guardians."

* * *

Soaring hundreds of feet above the Meridian towns below them, the Guardians encroached on the daunting castle.

The shape and vast size of it screamed horror movie, black as the night and as evil as they come. Somehow, it all balanced precariously on a tiny, pointy mouth of earth and no-one would have been surprised if the entire castle just fell off.

"So what's the plan, Kayley?" Ash asked, studying each of the spires and each of the entrances in turn, trying to think of possible escape routes if necessary. She was used to thinking in that frame of mind, it making her feel that much more at ease.

Kayley bit her lip. "I'm working on it…"

They hovered in battle-ready positions just above a connecting bridge on the castle. Eerie silence echoed around them, save for the quiet humming of their wings. It was too quiet. Recalling their last visit to the castle, they remembered that's never a good thing.

However, overly quiet or not, they had a mission to complete.

Cautiously, they landed on the bridge and darted their heads all around them, awaiting an attack that didn't seem to come.

"Ambush," Opal stated. "If they know we are here, it is in their best interest to guard what is most valuable to them, that being Vathek. I doubt there will be any guards until we are close to him."

Kayley concurred, saying, "Well, let's use that to our advantage. Security around the low priority prisoners will be depleted, so let's try to free as many rebel captives as possible as well as Vathek."

"But, he's the top of our list. Don't forget that," Lorelai noted.

Ash nodded pulled out the drawing Aldarn had given her from her boot, studying it.

Amethyst glanced at it, then walked to the East doorway. "Okay, so we're looking for a big blue monster-looking thing in a world full of monster-looking things," she stated. "Basically, we're looking for something blue."

Ash waved the drawing in the air. "I got something borrowed," she offered.

Lorelai caught on, adding, "Amethyst's hair style is definitely old."

Amethyst put her hands on her hips, growling, "And the bruise I'm about to give Rory will be new…"

"Guys!" Kayley silenced. "Focus. Okay, we'll split off in pairs," she began to spell out her quickly concocted plan. "Fire and water, earth and air. Opal, you and Amethyst go down as low as you can into the dungeons, freeing as many as possible. Ash, take Lorelai and do the same but on this level. When you have them, bring them up onto this bridge where I'll be waiting with a fold to Earth."

* * *

"The Guardians have arrived, master," Raven informed.

Phobos continued watching through his viewing sands. "I can see that, Raven,"

He rose from his throne and waved away the grains of sand. Motioning for Raven and several guards to follow him, he walked out of the throne room doors, saying, "Perhaps I can get a chance to greet our new house guests…"

* * *

Opal and Amethyst were the first to arrive. With them in front, dozens and dozens of ragged men from all ages filed through the West doorway.

Kayley instructed, "Alright everyone, there's going to be an angry search party looking for you all very soon, so I need you all to jump off this ledge. There's a fold to Earth down below in a place where it'll be hard for any rangers to hit you. Go!"

Nervously, the men began to obey. One by one they herded off the bridge like lemmings, only praying the trust they put in the Guardians wouldn't cost them their lives.

Opal and Amethyst stood at the doorway guiding them through as they came faster, now running off the edge with the thought that an army trailing behind them would be worse than anything on the other side of that fold.

To Opal, Amethyst noted, "Have you realized that Kayley's plans usually involve people jumping off stuff?"

Knowingly, Opal smiled. There wasn't a sniper in sight, which either means they were doing their job correctly or there just wasn't anyone there. Odds favoured the latter.

Just as the last of Opal and Amethyst's group finished plummeting into oblivion, Lorelai and Ash ran through the East doorway with around another hundred rebels.

Kayley repeated the instructions, only adding, "Opal, Lorelai, block the doorways. Don't let anyone in armour onto this bridge. Ash, survey the skies and see if you see any rangers pointing our way."

Amethyst chuckled. "You're paranoid, Kayley! This is easy street right here."

"Don't get cocky," Kayley warned. "I haven't seen a big blue thing run through here, so the worst is yet to come."

Opal smiled wryly. "Joy…"

Once all the rebels had crossed to Earth, Kayley did the same.

* * *

On the other side of the fold, Kayley landed behind an abandoned, run-down warehouse. Over two hundred pairs of eyes moved to look at her, patiently awaiting further instructions. Kayley hadn't exactly landed them in the most beautiful place to admire the scenery, so they had just stood there, quietly murmuring to each other. Earth may be an improvement to Meridian, but the Industrial Park surely wasn't.

Kayley sliced open another fold, and before letting them through, she said, "We don't know much of Meridian yet, so we've landed you in a village we've been to before. Once there, try to find a man named Jonathan - he's one of Drake's informants. He'll know what to do with you better than I."

Kayley watched them pass through, one by one thanking her and the Guardians for their help. Then, she closed the fold and flew back through to Meridian. After closing that fold, she joined her friends on the bridge.

Ash nodded once to her. "Tricky part?"

Kayley nodded back, sighing, "Tricky part…"


	23. Heart to Heart - Chapter Four

The halls and corridors were abandoned. Not a guard or even a worker in sight. Nothing but a few flickering wall torches keeping at least some light into the dank building. It was night outside, and not even the moon dared ebb any light into the castle.

"Over a thousand men," Amethyst fretted. "How are we supposed to fight an army of over thousand men?"

"We're not," Kayley answered. "We try, but then we'll have to find some other way of getting Vathek out of here. Opal, you're the smart one. Got any suggestions?"

Opal shook her head. "In spite of my intellect toppling yours," she teased, "I cannot predict the future, as in I cannot think of a strategy until visually presented with the situation."

Kayley stayed silent for a moment before mumbling, "A simply 'no' would have sufficed…"

The five Guardians halted in their tracks. Ash had audibly picked up something. A noise they were gaining on. It sounded like murmurs. Quiet murmurs, but many of them. Also - what they had wanted to hear - the odd clang of metal fidgeting about.

"We're close now," Ash reported, quietly.

Edging up to the doorway, they leaned inside and took in the full scale of what they were up against. The room was packed to the brim with soldiers, leaving only a small circle in the centre of the room. Each soldier, to their credit, looked visibly bored, something which you never see soldiers do. They looked like they were listening to Principle Jefferson talk about on-going developments with the PTA. The poor things didn't even have cell phones to keep them occupied.

Kayley began to mouth things, point at people and then to places in the hall.

However, the remaining Guardians just stared at her.

"What?" Lorelai slumped her shoulders, eyes dull.

Frustrated, Kayley repeated the exact same actions once over.

"What does," Amethyst copied Kayley's motioning. "Mean?"

"They do it all the time on cop shows," Kayley replied, shrugging.

Ash stared at her. "Does this look like Hawaii 5-0 to you?"

Once they girls had flown inside the circular room, they floated down in the middle of the armies, positioning themselves in a star-like manner with elements floating above their palms.

"I'm so glad you could join us," Phobos jeered, teletransporting himself and Raven down from the balcony to greet the girls. At least a hundred men, armed to the teeth with swords, shields, maces or spears, surrounded the girls.

Kayley shot her head around, but she couldn't see anything past the sneering soldiers. Phobos and Raven were the only different faces among the crowd, so she quickly threw a bolt of lightning at the pair. Unfortunately, both teletransported away just in time, but the armies began their attack…

The Guardians darted into the skies, for height was their biggest advantage.

"We still need to find Vathek," Opal reminded herself. "But this cannot be all of the soldiers…"

She took down three men at once with a fireball. Next to her, Amethyst was pinning a dozen soldiers up against the wall with water jets. She signalled to Ash, who sent a chilling hurricane-like wind at them, freezing them in ice.

Lorelai was using bricks to knock down as many as she could, for she had quite limited resources. Wishing for a change though, she glided down to the ground and placed a hand on the floor, springing vines from it and entrapping several men.

Opal scanned around her, surveying the exists. Small windows were in the rafters, along with a few at her level. What she was looking for were doors. Other than the one they came in, there was two: an unguarded one at the far end and one up on the balcony where Phobos and around twenty soldiers were watching the chaos unfold.

"Up there," she decided. Shooting upwards, she took a shot at Phobos. However, he simply halted the fire in its tracks with a yawn and threw a bolt of energy back at her.

Opal ducked out of the way.

Phobos smiled and repeated the attack, this time shocking Opal in the back and knocking her down a few feet. Wiping her brow, she smiled maliciously and silently noted, "So he is the game-changer."

Phobos teletransported himself down to fighting level, waiting for Ash to turn around. As she finished off with several soldiers, she blissfully walked into his trap. Electricity seemed to race through her like a thousand volts, stunning her in place yet carrying her into the air in Phobos' grip. Once she could take no more, Phobos released her, launching her powerfully into the brick wall with bone-crushing force.

Lorelai, just realizing what had transpired, summoned several thick vines to attack Phobos. However, he simply teletransported away at the last second.

The fighting continued for several minutes, not amounting to much at all. The soldiers didn't seem to be going down as quickly as they were getting up, and still no-one had decided where to go on the Vathek issue.

"This is just a distraction," Ash groaned, now recovered and near-telekinetically carrying away a set of weapons from an advancing soldier. "Vathek's gunna be somewhere even harder to find."

Amethyst shaped her hands into finger guns, finding entertainment in pretending she was spraying bullets around the place. She jet water at a soldier so hard he flew into two others, knocking them both down like bowling pins. "Yeah, but where?"

Lorelai hurled rocks at a group of soldiers, knocking them down almost instantly. She peered over her left shoulder and gasped, noticing how Phobos was staring down at her from the balcony above.

With an evil sneer, he summoned a blood-red rose to his hand and gently blew at the petals.

Instantly, the soldiers filed out of the room and shut the doors behind them - even the ones on the balcony edged into the next room, including Raven and Phobos.

"Um…" Ash murmured, flying down to the centre floor of the room, along with the others.

The petals started rapidly multiplying, zooming down and racing around the Guardians at a rate of knots.

The five girls edged closer together, watching puzzled as the petals circled them. Then, they began to release a strange pollen-like gas.

Save for Lorelai, the Guardians hands instantly shot to their throats and each began coughing violently.

Amethyst dropped to her knees, spluttering, "This'll do wonders for my allergies…"

Kayley dropped to her knees too, trying not to let the gas choke her. "Lorelai…" she managed, "Do something…"

Lorelai watched as the petals engulfed her friends, herself seemingly unaffected by the pollen. "Earth has its perks," she thought to herself, placing a hand on the ground and summoning brick cages around the remaining Guardians individually.

Channelling her mind, Lorelai worked to expel the petal's pollen before thrusting both her arms out wide and shattering the brick cages.

Once free - and one the pollen had dispersed - Opal pointed to the door up on top of the balcony and commanded, "Up there."

"Run past them," Kayley instructed, signalling for Opal to break through the door.

The soldiers must have been expecting the attack because they looked utterly shocked when elements didn't clash with steel and the Guardians simply flew above them.

Even Phobos and Raven didn't have time to retaliate as once they'd figured out the game plan, the Guardians had made it to the other end of the corridor and locked the door behind them.

"Lorelai, Amethyst, block it," Kayley directed, "Opal and Ash with me."

Nodding, Lorelai and Amethyst began to crumble up the wall next to them into large enough pieces to barricade the door.

Meanwhile, Opal, Ash and Kayley bolted down a large spiral staircase until confronted by another locked door in their path. However, they made short work of that, along with the twenty or so guards in the following room. Then, they found who they were looking for…

"Guardians!" Vathek cried, rushing to the front of his cell with a relieved smiled.

"We don't have much time," Ash urged Opal to start working on the bars, noting how the guards were already groaning themselves back into consciousness.

Opal started searing through them one by one. "Well, no offence," she contradicted, "But he is not exactly petite. It will take time."

Just as Opal started to work on the last bar for him to fit through, a telepathic message came in from Amethyst: "Hey guys," the voice sounded stressed. "we can't hold them off forever up here. Any time…"

"Any time…" Kayley breathed, sending a small bolt of lightning to shock the first guard that stumbled up to them, sword held high.

Vathek crawled through the bars, narrowly avoiding the sharp metal lying in wait beneath him ready to cut his shins. Together, they all started to flee back to Lorelai and Amethyst.

Little did they know that those two were about to do the same thing, for the barricade once protecting them was now starting to shake with a violent fizzing noise - a combination, they deduced, that couldn't be anything good.

Amethyst swore quietly under her breath as she edged away. As the shaking and fizzing increased she grabbed Lorelai's arm and yanked her away from the blast radius, starting to run with her towards the stairs.

Kayley's party halted when they were passed on the stairwell, Kayley asking, "Hey, where are you-"

"This way good, that way bad," Amethyst yelled, not stopping to hear any reply, even though Ash supplied one, "That way's not good either!"

However, Amethyst and Lorelai found that out first hand as they ran into a battalion of very angry guards glaring back at them, armed and ready for battle.

Ash heard the clutter from upstairs and fled with her group down to Amethyst's level.

"We're surrounded," she stated, huddling closer to her group as each army slowly enclosed on them. "Fan-fricken-tastic…"

Amethyst gulped. "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah," Kayley spoke up, though not loud enough for any of the armies to hear. "Lorelai, break down that wall next to us. We're at the edge of the castle now. The rest of you know what to do."

Ash, Amethyst and Opal smirked, chorusing, "Totally."

Battle commenced once again, though much more briefly this time. Opal collapsed half the wall in the stairwell to block that exist while Amethyst and Ash made 'guard-sickles' out of the remaining soldiers. Once Lorelai had broken through the wall, Kayley, Amethyst and Ash lifted Vathek off the ground and flew him out of the castle.

Phobos and company arrived just in time to see the Guardians swoop around the corner. "NO!" he yelled, growling to himself. Then, he commanded, "I want every archer to their posts, now! Anyone that snares a Guardian will have three times their rations tonight."

"We did it!" Amethyst cheered, her and Ash lifting a hand off Vathek to high-five each other. Kayley's grin took up half her face as she said, "That was incredible!"

"Victory does taste awfully sweet," Opal contributed, smiling to herself.

"Thank you, Guardians," Vathek breathed a sigh of relief as the castle walls flew by him and he enclosed on the fold.

The rangers tried to take aim, but as soon as the Guardians ducked down below the spire and bridge they were at too odd an angle to make a clean shot. A few tried their luck but missed by yards.

Kayley saw one out of the corner of her eye plummet down into the waters beneath her and she boasted, "Who's paranoid now, huh? I told you this was the best place for the fold."

"Bravo," Opal rolled her eyes, smiled wryly. "Would you like a cookie for that?"

Kayley matched her smile and shrugged. "I'm just saying… we could be looking like knitting dolls up there if we'd placed the fold on the bridge."

"Let's move on, shall we?" Lorelai suggested, yawning. She'd lost track of time a while ago, but it felt late.

Once they found the new rebel camp and Vathek re-joined his fellow friends with a warm welcome, the Guardians were offered to stay a while for some food and herbal tea - apparently a drink common in Meridian. Gladly, they accepted. Both parties talked for a while, the Guardians recounting their expedition inside the castle walls whilst Drake and the rebels told them stories of past encounters with Phobos, not reassuring in the slightest. Time just seemed to slip away. The girls were riveted by these tales of war and sorcery, from Phobos' first reign on the throne all through how he stole Nerissa's seal, then how he escaped imprisonment only to be betrayed by one of his trusted generals once again, this time Miranda.

Raythor told them all he knew about Cedric's death, after he'd rebelled from his master. How he had been forced to live a life he loathed on Earth, eventually sacrificing himself for the Guardians and the one he loved. So many tales to tell - all too many for one night. Although, it was the horrors of past rebellions lingered in everyone's mind, making the Guardian's attempts at sleep once back on Earth all the more impossible…


End file.
